


Warrior...Misthios...Actress...

by Kobuzero



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types, Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Actress!Aspasia, Actress!Kassandra, Angst, Canon Divergent, Canon Divergent for Xena as well to help it fit the story, Comedy, Drama & Romance, F/F, Fluff, Modern Day Aspasia, Modern Day Kassandra, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Romance Redemption, Slow Burn, Things have been shifted around a bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-05-07 05:30:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19202857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kobuzero/pseuds/Kobuzero
Summary: It's been over two thousand years since she last saw Aspasia but when Kassandra takes a job as an actor, to play the role of Xena, the warrior princess in an upcoming new tv show, she is faced with the woman she once loved who is now her co-star. Now the two of them have to navigate life as actors while dealing with their own personal feelings for each other that they both thought they had gotten over long ago.





	1. That's The Way It Is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LMjuniper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMjuniper/gifts).



> Hi everyone! Thanks for having a look at this fun little fic that was inspired by a conversation between myself and LMJuniper. (Special thanks to them for encouraging me to write this.)
> 
> Just a couple of quick notes before we get started.
> 
> 1.This fic will be canon divergent. I rearranged things as needed to make this work a bit better.  
> 2\. I will not be directly following the plot/events of Xena. Things will be changed a bit just to help with the story. (Basically this will be the Greek lesbian show we all deserved.)  
> 3\. I know TV Shows and Films are filmed out of order, but they are being filmed in order for this story because I felt it would be better for clarity and continuity.  
> 4\. IMPORTANT - Just incase you missed it, this story does deal with PTSD.
> 
> Thanks for reading, now please enjoy the show!

Kassandra swiped her finger across the glass screen, just to get the tiny plastic box to stop buzzing. She swore she would never fully get used to technology. Still she brought the phone to her ear. “Tomorrow? Eight? I’ll be there. Thank you.”

 After she heard the line go dead, Kassandra set the phone down on the kitchen counter and then leaned against it, watching out the window towards where she would begin the next chapter of her already far too long life. This would only be a blink of it, but it would be interesting while it lasted.

The next morning came and found the formerly called Eagle Bearer sitting at a long table in the most brightly lit room she had ever seen. Everything about it was as pristine and polished as the three people sitting next to her. Black suits, fine white shirts underneath, even the pens in their hands looked like they could sell for enough to feed all of Greece. Meanwhile, the former misthios sat in a simple white polo shirt and soft shorts. No one had told her that the dress code for a script reading was formal. 

One of the people at the table was the director of the television show they had hired her to act in. A short man with a bald head and round glasses.

The show was about a Greek warrior woman, named Xena. Kassandra had tried out for the role, mostly out of boredom. Her life in the modern day had been mundane to say the least, and she remembered enjoying acting for the few times she had done so back in Greece. It turned out she wasn’t exactly what they were looking for, but the director himself had handpicked her from the bunch of women who also attempted the role. He never said what it was he liked about her performance, but he had insisted. Something to do with diversity points he had said when she overheard him talking with the producers who also now sat at the table. 

 “Once your co-star gets here, we can start. We figured you two should meet.” Tina, the co-producer said.

 Kassandra only nodded and sat back in her chair, trying to find anything that might make this all feel a little less... stuffy.

The door to the meeting room opened, and a small woman with blonde hair, followed by an even smaller woman with blonde hair that was obviously unnatural came through, trotting two steps behind her and mumbling while staring at a tablet.

 Kassandra’s eyes went wide at the sight of the taller woman, and her mouth dropped open in disbelief. Those eyes, that hair, the way she floated into the room as gracefully as she had when entering the symposium so many millennia ago.

 “Aspasia?” The name came out mid gasp as Kassandra stood up, and the other woman stopped dead in her tracks, gaze locked with hers and equally stunned.

 “Kassandra!?” Her lip trembled as she took in the sight of the former mighty misthios. Not aged a single day, and still as chiseled and fit as if sculpted by the gods themselves.

 “How? Where have you been? It’s been so long.” The words spilled out of Kassandra’s mouth before she could stop herself. While the rest of the executives at the table gave each other confused looks.

 “I could ask you the same things, you know.” Aspasia’s face turned from surprised to a glare as she crossed her arms.

 The director, Derek cleared his throat to get their attention before Aspasia could respond. “Good, you two know each other.”

 “You could say that.” Kassandra said, returning Aspasia’s glare as she sat back down in her chair.

 “Right,” the director said as he curiously glanced between them. “Well, you two can have your little reunion later. Let’s get started for now.”

 

**Ξ**

 

 After nearly three hours of reading through the script of the first episode, they released the actors and directed them to the costuming department for their first fittings of their costumes. Kassandra hadn’t said a word to Aspasia the entire time, only little glances, none of which gave Aspasia much to go on about how the other woman might be feeling.

Aspasia had tried getting her attention. Finding it difficult to concentrate on the script properly while every memory of their time together came crashing back into her mind like the stormy waves of the Aegean. It was all so overwhelming and seeing Kassandra again wasn’t helping. The last time she had laid eyes on her was when she watched her leave Naxos on the Adrestia, off to continue her odyssey. The sun shining on her bronze shoulders and giving her an almost ethereal glow while her neat yet wild hair danced in the wind’s gentle caress. The memory of the soft smile she gave her from the captain’s platform, hands on her hips and amber eyes glittering before she had turned away and yelled at her crew to set sail still sent a shiver down her spine and caused her cheeks to blush.

She attempted to hide this as best she could from the woman who was pacing around her and looking over the costume she had tried on.

“So, what do you think?”

Aspasia blinked to tear herself away from the memories and turned to look in the mirror. Her cheeks grew even more red while her brows knit together and her lips curled into a disgusted frown before whirling back around to give the costume director a piece of her mind.

**Ξ**

 Meanwhile, across the hallway where the second costume designer was working with Kassandra, it was smooth sailing.

“I don’t see how this fitting could’ve gone any better.” The woman said as she stepped back and let her eyes wander over Kassandra while she posed proudly in her new outfit.

“Walk around in it, get used to it. You’ll be wearing it a lot from now on. I’ll give you a few minutes while I grab a coffee. Would you like one too?”

The actress considered the offer, she had grown fond of the bitter bean water that these people were so fond of. It had very become refined over the years since its invention. She nodded and gave the woman a thankful smile. “Yes, I would love that, thank you, Ms. Sheffield. Black please, nothing else.”

The other woman smiled and eyed her, seeming almost impressed, and intrigued by her order.“Not a problem Kassandra, it _is_ my job to make sure you’re well taken care of.” She said, stepping forward and giving a squeeze to her arm where her hand stayed a little longer than was probably necessary, her eyes flitting to look at the strong bicep and biting her lip before pulling her hand away when Kassandra raised an eyebrow. “Also, please, call me Fran.” she added with a wink before walking away. Leaving Kassandra a little confused.

Once Fran was gone, Kassandra turned towards the full-length mirror and had a look at herself. They had opted to leave her hair in its signature braid. The dark leather hugged body and the gold pieces of metal caught the light of the fitting room and only added to the effect. It wasn’t exactly the Greek armor she was used to but after looking at herself in the mirror and studying it; she felt she could live with it. The boots had a slight heel on them, and she couldn’t complain about being a little taller.

Her mind began to wander as she waited for Fran to return, thinking of times long forgotten by the world. To when she and Aspasia had spent nearly a year on the Adrestia, evading the Cultists and falling in love at the same time. A small smile crept onto her face as she remembered all the nights below deck where they had made blissful love, shared stories, and fallen asleep in each others arms to the gentle rocking of the ocean. It all felt like so long ago, and yet the wound on her heart from the day she entered the Cultist Lair to find it empty, aside from the golden pyramid which had been missing a piece, and Aspasia nowhere to be found still burned with pain from the thought.

A loud series of yelling from the room across the hall pulled her back to reality. It was Aspasia, and the ever curious misthios followed the sound until she reached the other dressing room and peaked inside. The sight made her smile in amusement.

“What idiot decided that this is what Greeks wore?” I wouldn’t even wear this around the house, its hideous!” Aspasia yelled, motioning to the outfit which comprised a forest green halter top which only covered her breasts and left her midriff exposed. Not that Kassandra would complain. Aspasia always did have a nice figure, and the outfit showed off the gentle curve of her hips and her flat but still well toned stomach. The plain brown skirt however, left much to be desired and absolutely did flatter the woman’s fine legs at all. A shame really. Kassandra thought as she remembered a night when Aspasia had decided to wander around the deck of the Adrestia in a long white chiton that had been cut to show off her legs. The commander of the ship couldn’t exactly blame the crew for gawking at her as she made her way to helm. Even now Kassandra felt a warm tingle across her body as she remembered running her hands down them.

The Eagle Bearer shook her head and shoved those memories down into the back of her mind before her body could react and took a deep breath, listening in once again.

“It makes you look sexy. Gotta show a little tummy; it’s what the audience wants.” She said in an overly sultry voice, motioning to her own midriff for emphasis. 

“Which part of the audience?” Aspasia questioned with a suspicious raise of her eyebrow, and Kassandra couldn’t help but chuckle.

The designer looked shocked. “All of them! Just imagine all those hunky fanboys who would want a piece of Gabrielle.” she said with a confident sway of her hips and husk in her voice. “The lesbians too.”

Aspasia’s glare grew even darker. “I am _not_ some trophy piece or object for men to ogle, and neither is this character. I read the script, she doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would dress like this. Besides, how would she ever fight someone?”

“Well she would want to impress Xena too, wouldn’t she? What better way to attract a lady warrior than showing off the goods?” The designer added a little shake of her hips and shoulders, and Aspasia looked as if she might wretch.

“I never had to _‘show off my goods’_ to anyone” Aspasia snapped “Especially not Kassa-” her eyes grew wide as the name fell from her lips and she stopped herself. Panic set in immediately as she watched the designer blink and then begin to put two and two together. Aspasia held her breath, and her mind scrambled to find something, anything to say to cover it all up.

“And she shouldn’t have to.” Kassandra interjected loudly before the designer could get too far as she entered the room. “I for one would much rather see a woman fully clothed in a respectable outfit.” She continued while stepping closer to the small woman who stared up at her, unsure of how to respond. Kassandra pressed her advantage by standing up to her full height, hands on her hips. “And... I am the warrior princess. I should have a say too, right?”

The distraction seemed to work. The designer blinked up at Kassandra and shrank away from her, looking between the two of them several times before finally throwing her hands in the air with a heavy sigh.

“Fine, I’ll talk to Derek... but if I can’t change it, then you’re stuck with it.” She groaned as she stormed out of the room.

Aspasia let out the breath she had been holding. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem, I'm happy to have been able to help. That didn't seem to be going well.” Kassandra replied with a small bow of her head and a smile which then turned into a playful smirk as she eyed the outfit again. “But, even if you don’t like it, I think it looks kind of cute on you.”

That earned her a blush despite the glare that came along with it. ”I distinctly remember you finding me attractive no matter what I, or any other woman, was wearing. ” Aspasia countered matching Kassandra’s stance, hands on her hips with an accusative look.

Kassandra crossed her arms and returned the glare but decided to not reply to the comment and tried to turn the conversation back to being civil. This was not something she wanted to deal with right now. “Perhaps, but I agree with you, it is anything but accurate. Perhaps if you were a Daughter of Artemis, but even they knew to wear proper armor into battle.”

Aspasia laughed at that. “True, and I have more authentic Greek clothing in my closet at home, some even survived from back then.”

Kassandra chuckled. “I’m surprised that a museum hasn’t called and asked if they can put it on display. Centuries old clothing would make a fine exhibit.” She teased.

“Yes, with the Eagle Bearer’s spear alongside it, right? It would only fit considering what it was used for.” Aspasia bit back, not nearly as playful. There it was again, that anger in her eyes.

The surrounding air changed in an instant as Kassandra glared back, fire flaring in her eyes. “I make no apologies for the things I did.”

“Of course not. You never cared about the bigger picture, only for your revenge.”

“Your people killed my family!” Kassandra roared, centuries of pent up anger threatening to boil over. “What was I supposed to do?”

Aspasia softened as her gazed dropped to the floor, hands clasping in front of her nervously. “I never wanted that...”

” _Sure_ you didn‘t. “ The warrior spat back. “Is that why you were nowhere to be found while my life went straight to Tartarus? That's why you corrupted my brother. That’s why you left me standing there in that cave like an idiot while you-”

“Kassandra there you are!” Came the bubbly, yet nervous voice of Fran as she entered the room, and handed Kassandra the coffee she had promised.There was a slightly scared smile on her face as she tried to fake that she hadn’t clearly heard all of that. “Come dear, we need to get you over to make-up.” The woman said as she tentatively tried to guide Kassandra out of the room with a hand on her arm.

Aspasia flicked her wrist at the misthios dismissively “Yes, why don’t you go and get fawned over now Kassandra, and try not to break too many of their hearts while you’re at it.”

Kassandra scowled back, eyes locked with Aspasia’s for a long moment. Neither willing to admit that the other had won this round. Eventually, Kassandra gave in with a low growl followed by a huff, then stalked out of the room.

 

**Ξ**  

 

The next day found Kassandra on a wide open field. There were tents and equipment setup for filming, but they wouldn’t be starting until the following day. Derek had said that he wanted to rehearse a few things before they got started. Though Kassandra was confident in her ability to play the role, he had said it was mandatory.

She looked around, and then down at a sheet of paper she had in her hand that supposedly gave her directions. Fran had scribbled a map of the set on it that left much to be desired, even Xenia’s treasure maps were better than this. Still she followed the red line to a spot where she had scribbled ‘Actor’s seating’.

Instead of it being a straight line, as was drawn. The trek to get to this ‘seating’ required Kassandra to make zigzags between the white tents and dodging members of the film crew carrying heavy equipment until she found a small clearing in the center of it all.

There she found a line of folded out chairs, a small cooler right next to it all, and several tables set up with assorted snacks. She walked up to them, and found each chair had a name written on them, including the first one which her name was scrawled onto the back of. At first she looked around, a little concerned that perhaps she wasn’t supposed to sit in it. Still, she felt a sense of pride as she took a seat and found it rather comfortable. A small part of her couldn’t help but feel important as she watched the goings on around her. ‘This must be how the kings and queens felt.’ She thought as she adjusted herself, sitting more properly, head held high as she waited for what came next.

“Alright ladies,” Derek bellowed as he walked up to her, with Aspasia and her agent following behind him. He clapped his hands together assertively looking at each of them as he continued. “We will do some practicing and rehearsing today. To help you really get into the minds of your characters. Kassandra, lets start with you.”

“I’m sure I’ve got a good idea of what this woman was like, but sure. Let's practice.” Kassandra said while standing up from her chair.

“Oh, I’m sure you do. You were perfect for the role, but still, I think we need to add some things. Stuff to make her stand out more.” Derek paced back and forth for a moment as he thought. “I was thinking, she should do...some kind of war cry when Xena goes into battle.”

Kassandra wrinkled her nose at the idea.“Why would I do a war cry? Wouldn’t that just announce that I’m there?”

“Well yeah, that’s the point!” He said with a laugh. “The bad guys have to know you’re there to kick ass.” Derek added a little flourish of his fists for emphasis.

“They’ll know that by me stabbing them.” Kassandra folded her arms over her chest with her eyebrows knitted in annoyance.

“Yes, but there needs to be something before you stab them.”

Kassandra sighed and rubbed her chin as she thought about how to approach this. She tried to think of any battle she might’ve done something like this in and couldn’t think of any. She remembered her fight with the Nemian Lion, how it had roared at her before charging and attempting to slash her guts out with it’s claws. Even for a seasoned warrior like herself, she had felt that roar in her bones and she had hesitated for just a moment before meeting the lion’s charge with her spear.

‘Perhaps something like that would work...’ she thought and then nodded to herself.

Everyone was watching her expectantly, and at first she was nervous about this, but summoned her courage that had gotten her through countless battles before. After a deep breath she let her voice carry in a thundering roar that echoed across the field and ended in a low growl as she rolled her tongue. Once finished she smiled, quite happy with her performance and waited expectantly with her hands on her hips for her praise. However, her confidence deflated almost instantly as she looked around at the crew who all exchanged awkward glances while Derek appeared to be in pain.

“No no no, that’s too...aggressive...” He said with a wave of his hands before looking like a light bulb came on in his head. “What about.. Oh! Hey Stacy, what was that thing that Janice did when she got drunk the other night?”

“Oh! You mean the yi-yi-yi thing? It was so funny.” The woman replied from where she was adjusting things on the tables behind them.

“Yes! That!” Derek snapped his fingers. “Do that.” He commanded with a smile as if he was the most brilliant man in the world.

Kassandra wrinkled her nose. “I’m not doing anything like that.”

“Come on, please, just try it. It would be great and unique!”

Kassandra grumbled and rolled her eyes. “Fine...”

After a deep breath to calm herself, she gave it a try. The yell came out more like a high-pitched pterodactyl screeches that ended with Kassandra coughing, then grimacing at the fool she had just made herself out to look like.

Aspasia burst out in a giggle but tried to hide her grin behind her hand as Kassandra glared at her.

The director tensed. “Uh...y-you know what, let’s just...work on that later. Instead, let’s work on how Xena talks. Any chance you can lose the accent?”

“And what exactly is wrong with my accent?” Kassandra’s hands returned to her hips as she gave him a leveled look.

“Nothing! It’s just you know...not what Americans expect to hear.”

“But she is Greek. Isn’t that why you hired me? Why would they not expect a Greek accent?”

“Well, yes, of course she’s Greek, they know that, but it doesn’t mean she needs to sound Greek right? It would just make her more relatable.”

“How is sounding Greek not relatable? There are still Greeks now.” Aspasia interjected and offered an understanding look to Kassandra. “Not to mention wouldn’t it be strange if I had an accent, and she did not? Unless you plan on making me change, too.” She added, crossing her arms to match Kassandra.

The director laughed nervously as the two women stared at him. He looked around at the rest of the crew who all either looked away or gave him a sidewards glance. After a long awkward moment he sighed in defeat. “Alright, fine, you can keep the accents. Let’s work on some fighting then shall we.”

He turned to the stunt actor, who was dressed in his own costume and Kassandra had to hold back a laugh at how horribly inaccurate it all was. He was also wearing platform boots to make himself as tall as Kassandra was.

“This part should be easy, lets just see how you throw a punch. Take a swing at Mark here.” Derek said then backed away.

Kassandra brought her fists up, and took up a fighting stance. Finally, something she was used to.

“Okay, three, two, one. Punch!”

There was a crack, a yell, and then a thud as the stunt man fell over backwards and lay motionless on the ground.

“Oh my god!” came the shocked yell of a crewman.

“Is he dead?” asked another as they ran over to him.

“You said punch, so I punched him.” Kassandra tried to defend herself.

“You weren’t actually supposed to hit him!” The first man barked.

“Well, what did you want then?” Kassandra asked shrugged and perplexed look to Derek.

He groaned and pinched his nose. “I meant a stage punch...”

Kassandra looked embarrassed as she took a step back from the whole thing. “Stage punch...right... I guess I should work on that.” She did feel bad for hurting the man, but wasn’t sure what to do now. She looked over at Aspasia who only shrugged then back at Derek for more direction.

He sighed and looked back at her, then down at the ground as if lost in thought. After a moment he chuckled to himself, then looked back at Kassandra with a more friendly look in his eyes. “You know what, don’t worry about it.” He waved his hand casually, as if to wipe away everything that happened. “I’ll have Tony teach it to you later.”

Kassandra nodded slowly, still a little embarrassed about what happened.

Derek stepped closer and offered her a reassuring look then spoke quietly so only she could hear.“I know this is all new to you. You don’t have to be perfect right away, even if I know you will be eventually, okay?”

The warrior actress nodded, more confidently this time. He gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder and said “Why don’t you take a break while we get things set up for rehearsing and do some work with Aspasia.”

Kassandra pursed her lips, considering the offer. “Alright, sounds good. I could use more coffee anyway.”

He grinned in amusement. “Don’t punch anyone on the way there. We need those stunt men.”

“I’ll try.” Kassandra chuckled as she walked away, passing Aspasia as she did so, and looking back over her shoulder, first at her then at Derek. “Good luck.” She called back with a teasing smirk as Aspasia glared at her.

 

**Ξ**

 

They spent the rest of the day training. Kassandra worked with Tony the stunt coordinator for nearly four hours until she had perfected the art of faking a punch. Which was nearly as difficult as learning to throw a real one. By the end of it all she could even swing a sword and act as though she was doing her favored kick without hurting anyone.

When the next day came, she stood at the edge of the forested set, full of confidence and ready for her first day of filming. There was something exhilarating about it. After reading the finished version of the script she found herself excited and that feeling only grew stronger as she climbed up the tree that was to be her starting position for the scene.She felt an old and welcome burn in her muscles as she pulled herself up to the marked branch, and inhaled slowly as she looked out over the set and smiled to herself. Though she would only be acting, this was the next closest thing she would get in this modern day to her days of roaming the Greek country side in search of adventure.

“Action!” Derek yelled through his megaphone from his seat.

Kassandra hopped from tree to tree, following the directions of the stunt coordinators until she came upon her marked branch where Xena was supposed to wait and watch the scene below her. She crouched down and balanced herself on the branch, ready to jump down when signaled.

“Alright, now we take the gloves off...start hacking!” The actor man yelled as he reached for his sword, just as Kassandra dropped in front of him and grabbed his arm.

The actor winced in pain, as she grabbed him a little too hard but they kept going. Kassandra narrowed her eyes and puffed herself up to look more intimidating as she silently stared him down.

“Well then, this village makes tough women.” The man said with a grunt as he tried to muscle through the pain of Kassandra gripping his arm. “Fine, we’ll take this one too.”

He nodded that he was ready, and Kassandra let go of him, and reached for her pitiful excuse for a sword. “I will not let you hurt these people, Draco!” she nearly cringed at the cheesy line, but stayed focused.

The sword fight began. Kassandra was careful to follow the choreography but added her own flair to the slashes and kicks. When she had disposed of the first three stunt actors, she whirled around to the next group who rushed at her, swords glinting in the sun and teeth bared as they did their best to make it look like a real fight. It did the trick. One actor took a swing at her, bringing his sword down above her, and for a moment Kassandra forgot this wasn’t a real fight.

She grabbed him by the arm, twisted herself under it and pulled him over her back, slamming him into the ground. Then turned and viciously grabbed the shield the other man was carrying and ripped it from his hand like she had done to so many Spartans on the blood-soaked battlefields, then bashed him with it using the full force of her body weight behind it.

Her heart pounded like war drums and it deafened her to everything else as she became lost in a world of her memories. The world faded from her vision. The actors became soldiers on the battlefield; the field became the dry sands of a Greek beach, and all the fury she had kept locked away all these years came out as vicious roar at the man in front of her. He stumbled back, eyes wide as Kassandra slashed at his stomach with the thankfully fake sword. It missed him as he barely dodged out of the way, but the follow-up not so fake attempt at a stab straight to his chest didn’t. There was a grunt of pain from him as Kassandra grabbed him to pull him onto it, and then both of her arms where grabbed by crew members, and suddenly all the shouting finally found its way to her ears and the memory melted away.

Instantly she dropped the sword and took a step back while shaking off the handlers. “By the gods, Tom, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it, I just got a little too...”

Tom coughed as he stood up and laughed. “It’s okay, that was fantastic! We’re gonna keep that right? She looked so cool!”

Kassandra laughed breathlessly, thankful that he wasn’t mad. “You did a good job, too. Nice dodge.” She said, accepting his friendly handshake.

Derek trotted over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning in. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine now.” She reassured him.

“Good.” He replied, still looking a little worried. “Don’t be afraid to say something if you’re ever uncomfortable. I know sometimes acting can be well...intense.”

Kassandra nodded and smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, I will.”

He gave her one more pat on the arm and then turned back to the crew.“Okay, back to positions everyone! We’ll continue from there.” He motioned to the actress. “Kassandra, turn away. Action!”

Kassandra stood in position until they signaled her to move, then turned around and saw Aspasia...Gabrielle... in the crowd among the villagers, and she froze.

Aspasia had gotten the costume change she desired. A simple dark brown chiton that went down to her knees, the simple green top that covered her torso remained but was now worn over the rest of the outfit.It came complete with a simple leather belt that kept the skirt hugged around her hips and accentuated her thighs. Then there were knee-high boots with slightly impractical heels that made her legs look even more stunning than normal. Kassandra’s jaw dropped, and she suddenly forgot her lines completely. There was a soft look in her brown eyes, that Kassandra would have mistaken for fondness if she hadn’t reminded herself that Aspasia was acting. It was the same look she used when dealing with noblemen in the symposium.

Aspasia walked over to her looking her up and down and smiled. “Thank you so much for helping us. Who knows what Draco would’ve done to our village had you not arrived.”

Kassandra straightened up, hands on her hips and head held high suddenly remembering that she was supposed to be a mighty warrior princess, not a heartbroken misthios. “Not to worry. I could never ignore people in need of help.” She stepped closer and gave her best devilish smirk. “However, it will cost you.”

“Naturally.” Aspasia said with a sigh, breaking character. “Is that still all you ever think about Kassandra? Kissing young girls and drachmae?” Aspasia spat, and instantly 

“Excuse me?“ Kassandra blinked and leaned back, both offended and amused by the accusation.

Aspasia stood her ground. “You heard me.” 

“Cut!” Derek said through the megaphone.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Kassandra said with a wave of her hand as she backed away.

“Hey! I said cut you two.” Derek barked as he walked over and waved his hands at them.

“Well, it’s true!”

“I was saying what was in the script! At least one of us was.”

“Right, the only thing you’ve done on script so far.”

“Will you two knock it off!” Derek yelled over them.

Kassandra huffed, crossed her arms, and muttered. “She started it.”

The director grumbled and looked between them like a parent dealing with his squabbling children. “Well, I’m ending it. You’re supposed to be in love at first sight remember? So just act like it! We need to get this done today.”

 "Yes Kassandra, _act like you love me_.” Aspasia added.

Those piercing eyes turned on her, full of hurt and anger as Kassandra stepped closer so that only Aspasia could hear her. “I acted like I loved you once Aspasia, and you broke my heart...remember?”

Aspasia felt those words in her soul, and her lip trembled as the memories flooded her mind. Though she held the other woman’s gaze, trying not to let the hurt show until Kassandra stepped back into position with a deadly look in her eyes.

 

**Ξ**

 

The sun hung high in the sky as the crew prepared for the next scene. Kassandra stood near her mark, with handlers and make-up artists fluttering around her. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to this. While she enjoyed her new job, it was a lot to take in, and she wasn’t used to having this many people so close to her all the time.

She tried her best to simply ignore them until the time to shoot came. Her gaze wandered over to Aspasia, as she mulled over the incident from earlier. All of this was happening so fast. One moment she was alone in the world, and the next there was Aspasia, the woman she had loved in a time that was only referenced by modern day folk when they wanted to sound enlightened. . The worst part was that the wounds on her heart from so long ago still felt fresh.

“Kassandra stop pouting please we need to do your lips.” Katie, the make-up artist scolded her.

This broke Kassandra out of her thoughts and she blushed while trying to put on a neutral expression. It didn’t last very long. Her gaze wandered to Aspasia who was standing on her own mark with a crowd of make-up artists surrounding her.

Kassandra rolled her eyes as she watched the other woman and the way she tilted her head and smiled while the artists touched up the blush on her cheeks. She posed and laughed haughtily while flipping her hair after they had gotten it perfect. Fluttering her eyes at the man who had done so.

Memories of watching the very same woman fake her pleasure towards Perikles and his nobles to make them think she was the kindest woman in all of Greece. They brought out a low growl from the misthios and she scrunched up her nose in disgust. Which promptly got her yelled at again by her own make-up artist.

Eventually Derek called for everyone to go to their places and all the surrounding people moved away. Finally, leaving her by herself for a moment. Kassandra straightened up and focused on the scene ahead. Rehearsing her lines in her head while she waited for the call to action.

When it came, she responded by stepping through a doorway into the set which was modeled to look like a burial catacomb. She stepped up to the coffin and ran her hand across it. The scene was supposed to be Xena visiting her brother’s grave after returning home to Amphipolis. This was easy for her. All she had to do was remember her own brother.

With her eyes closed she pictured Alexios and remembered how hard she had tried to bring him back from the Cult. The Cult that had been controlled by Aspasia, and turned him into the monster who murdered their own mother.

Everything about that memory still hurt, and she had to do everything in her power to push the anger that threatened to spill out again back down. Still the tears threatened to fall, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. I can get through this... she thought as she spoke her lines.

“Ale - _Lyceus_... Since you’ve been gone I’ve lost my way...but now I think I’ve found it again. ” No one else knew just how close to the truth this script was. True tears welled up in Kassandra’s eyes as she continued. “Just know...that I always loved you... and I wish you were here. It’s hard to be alone...”

A light at the back of the set caught her eye, signaling the cue. Kassandra blinked trying to keep the tears from showing too much. Though she was sure the director was loving this. She heard the footsteps behind her and turned to see Aspasia standing in the doorway, smiling at her, eyes soft as she came closer, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re not alone.” Aspasia said, her voice soft and kind.

The last time she had said those words were on the Adrestia when they fled Athens, and Kassandra was so distraught about losing Phoibe, her father, and even her brother to the cult. It was Aspasia who had held her in her arms and reassured her, when she said that she felt alone in the world after all that happened.

Kassandra’s smile was almost genuine, but she knew those were the words of the scriptwriters, not Aspasia. No matter how much she wanted to believe that she meant them. They weren’t true. Aspasia had left her alone. Still she held the expression and Aspasia’s gaze, unable to hide the emotion in her eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity Derek shouted ‘cut’, and like a bolt of lightning hurled by Zeus himself Kassandra was gone from the set, retreating to the dressing tent they had brought for the day.

Aspasia watched Kassandra walk away, shoulders sagging like she still held the world’s weight on her shoulders. Katie came up to her and hugged her tight, startling her out of watching her mighty misthios walk away.

“You did so great! And wow, Kassandra” she swooned and Aspasia had to do everything in her power to not glare at the other woman. “What a performance, huh? It was so...genuine!”

The actress sighed and looked back toward the tent where she could see Kassandra as the wind buffeted the door flap. She was sitting in her chair, head in her hands looking like she truly was as lost as her character.

“Because it was...”

**Ξ**

 

Later that afternoon, they ushered the actors and crew into the last set for the day. Kassandra had pulled herself together, and just kept telling herself it was only one more scene. She could get through this.

“Alright ladies, in position!” Derek called.

Kassandra took her seat on a log in the middle of a fake forest set, at least the fire was real. It warmed her skin and for a moment it felt like old times. When she was adventuring through the real ancient Greece and sleeping beneath the stars, which she could only see now after driving for an hour outside of the city. She shifted until she got comfortable and went over her lines in her head. ‘Just one more scene...’

Aspasia took up her mark just off to the side of the set, watching as Kassandra got herself settled and gazed into the fire. The last touches of make-up were finished, and she took a deep breath, letting it go as the director called for action. Aspasia walked on set acting as Gabrielle attempted to be sneaky, the branch that was marked for her to step on took a much stronger step to crack than she had expected. It broke under her foot after a few stomps, and Kassandra looked up with a small grin.

“You know if you’re going to follow someone, it usually helps if you’re quiet.” She said with a look of amusement in her direction.

Aspasia stood up and brushed off the fake leaves from her costume. “Perhaps I wanted you to notice me. I did ask to come with you. Besides, I figured I would follow you until you were in some jam, and you know, show up just in time to help.” She repeated the line and sat down on the log next to Kassandra.

“Like you would be much help, you don’t even have a weapon.”

Aspasia wasn’t sure she meant that line. Still she replied, “Well, that’s why I wanted to follow you. You can teach me to be strong.”

“You don’t need me to teach you to be strong, you already are.” Kassandra recited the line a soft voice, giving her a sideward glance as she stoked the fire with a stick. “Besides, being strong doesn’t mean that you have to fight.” She placed the stick on the ground and turned to her with a confident look. “I’ll protect you.”

“Then...perhaps wanting to be near you, is enough?” Aspasia put her own feelings into the line and watched as Kassandra’s eyes softened when she looked at her. Just for a moment.

Kassandra‘s lips turned up into a grin.“Perhaps...” She replied in character then reached over and tossed one of the proper blankets at her. “Make up your bedroll then, we’ll leave in the morning.” She followed with a shy smile as was written in the script.

Aspasia followed her part of the script and returned the smile, but couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of her. Looking as handsome as ever in the finely fitted armor, and the way the firelight danced across her skin. It was almost enough to make her believe the whole thing was real. Until Derek yelled cut and Kassandra’s expression turned back to neutral with the same cold look in her eyes that she’d had since the incident during the first scene.

“Nice job. I think we definitely fooled them.” Kassandra said as she stood up and brushed off the costume then walked off the set towards the door.

Derek stopped Kassandra at the door with his hands held out. “Hang on, just one last thing for today.”

Kassandra gave an exasperated sigh and put her hands on her hips. She was tired and just wanted to go home, to be as far away from Aspasia as possible. “What now?” She growled impatiently.

 "A quick photoshoot, you know for the promotional stuff, won’t take long. Just follow me.”

The two actresses looked at each other, for once sharing the same feeling about their job. Both rolled their eyes and followed the man.

He led them to a room which was so brightly lit that Kassandra had to squint and let her eyes adjust. In the corner was a setup with white sheets draped over it. They directed both her and Aspasia to stand in front.

The photographer, a small woman with red hair, ushered them into their spots. “Alright, now go ahead, and pose together.”

Kassandra shifted only a little closer to Aspasia, but otherwise they both just stood there. Neither wanting to make this more awkward than it already as.

“No no, more like a couple, you know, gotta tease them.”

“Isn’t that a little...dishonest?” Aspasia protested. “The writers haven’t even said if they will really be together.”

“You’re one to talk...” Kassandra muttered with a sidewards glare that Aspasia returned.

“But they don’t know that, now do they? It will get them curious.” The photographer countered with a wink.

Both women sighed, and Aspasia turned to the other actress and leaned against her with one hand splayed across her abs, which she could feel all too well even through the leather of the costume.

“Very close, Kassie, how about you put your arm around her?”

Kassandra grumbled but did as she was told, and Aspasia sucked in what she hoped was a silent breath. The feeling of the warrior’s strong arm wrapped around her shoulders brought back fond memories of when she would hold her during intimate moments, both heated and solemn.

“Great, look at her, like you’re about to kiss her.”

The photographer threw up her hands defensively when Kassandra scowled at the command. “Alright fine, but try to smile at least?”

Kassandra rolled her eyes and put on her best fake confident smirk. She really had no energy or patience left for all of these idiots ordering her around. Aspasia moved her hand slightly and Kassandra glanced down. The touch was familiar... gentle and caring. Was she trying to soothe her? ‘No...she’s probably just tired of holding the pose. That’s all...’

Aspasia on the other hand decided to play along and leaned in closer, almost to the point of her lips meeting the misthos’ cheek. Kassandra stared straight ahead with the fake smile held on her features despite the distanced look in her eyes.

“I’m sorry Kassandra...” Aspasia whispered as the camera shuttered.


	2. Medaglia d'Oro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On this episode our heroes get wet, drink some coffee, and learn the true meaning of the phrase 'leap of faith'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone and welcome back! Sorry this chapter took a bit longer than intended. On the plus side I technically have two chapters written now, but there needs to be another one between this one and the other one. I really hope you enjoy this chapter, however there are some things to note before you get going.
> 
> 1\. I lied when I said they would be filming scenes in order. For some parts of the story I will be having them doing scenes from the show out of order when it's necessary. (I'm so sorry for lying to you all! T_T )
> 
> 2\. There are lots of little references and easter eggs in this chapter, I will list them all at the end of the chapter just incase you missed one or don't know the reference at all. Please let me know if you liked them!
> 
> 3\. This chapter deals with conversations/mentions of animal abuse. 
> 
> Enjoy!

 

“Kassandra wait please, just listen. I swear if you just give me a chance to explain-” Aspasia called down the hallway as she jogged to catch up with Kassandra.

The misthios whirled around with her famous scowl on her features, and hands on her hips.

“Explain what? Why you disappeared? How you survived? Or why you’ve just now showed up?” Her voiced echoed through the halls, and Aspasia looked around to make sure no one was close by.

“Yes. All of that.” She whispered.

Kassandra growled in frustration and turned to continue walking until they made it to her dressing room. Once inside she turned to Aspasia and crossed her arms. “Fine, you have five minutes.”

Aspasia fumbled with her words at first, knowing that how she put this would matter. “The Cult, they survived.”

“What? How? That’s impossible. I killed them all.”

“There were more branches than just the one in Greece. They stayed quiet after what you did, and now they control everything from the shadows. The media, the politics, all of it, and I know that one of them is connected to this studio."

“How do you know all of this?”

“Because I was one of them.” Aspasia said as she reached under the collar of her costume and revealed a necklace with a piece of the artifact hanging from it. “But I didn’t like how we were doing things. The murder, the lies, it was all wrong.”  
Kassandra shook her head and turned back towards the window, lost in thought as she tried to process everything. “I’ve spent two thousand years stumbling around in this world. My mother, and Deimos... told me that the Cult had killed you. They even brought me back your chiton and headband as proof...And now, here you are, like you’re back from the dead.”

Aspasia stepped forward, tentatively reaching out for Kassandra but let her hand drop to her side when she received a warning glare.“I know, it’s a lot to take in, but I need you to trust me. At first, I went into hiding, so that even you could not find me. It was the hardest thing I ever did... It was easier to pretend I was dead, than it was to face you.” She paused for a moment to swallow the thick lump in her throat and push back all the memories of fleeing Greece. “I thought you would never forgive me for what I did. I was a coward, and I know that now.”

Kassandra frowned in thought as she took in the information, pacing back and forth before finally turning to face Aspasia. “There’s still one thing I don’t understand. You’ve been alive all this time. Why didn’t you come find me?”

“Because I was afraid. Of the cult finding you, or us. I wanted you to live a happy life, not more of being hunted.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I might have been happy to just be with you? We were happy on the Adrestia.”

Aspasia sighed in defeat. “I was afraid of telling you the truth, and that you would hate me, or kill me.”  
  
Kassandra’s eyes darkened with a clear and deep sadness. For a moment, it even looked as though she might tear up. “You didn’t exactly give me a chance…” While she spoke her hands dropped to her sides and her shoulders sagged a little, as if there was a weight dragging her down that she followed by leaning against the windowsill behind her.  

“You’re right, I didn’t, but… I am giving you that chance now. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Kassandra looked anywhere but at Aspasia then eventually back to her and pursed her lips. There was a battle going on inside her as was clear by her eyes. They were soft as they wandered slowly over Aspasia’s form, yet her brows were knitted in confusion and the wrinkling of her nose was always the sign of uncertainty in the misthios.“It does...I suppose two thousand years late is better than never.”

“Does that mean you’ll help me?” Aspasia’s lips turned up in a hopeful smile.

Kassandra nodded while standing up from her perch by the window. “Sure, why not? It’s better than fighting with you this whole time. You really made this first day of a new job a real nightmare.”

“You weren’t exactly on your best behavior either.” Aspasia countered with a pointed finger at the warrior who rolled her eyes at the gesture. “But let's not drudge it all up again, shall we? Tomorrow is a new day, and I hope that we can begin it on the proper foot this time. Deal?” She extended her hand to Kassandra who shook it to seal the deal.   
   
“Deal.” Kassandra agreed with a nod and then motioned to her outfit impatiently. “Now. Can I please get out of this costume and go home?”  
  
There was a sympathetic sigh from Aspasia as she looked down at her own outfit. “I should do the same. They really didn’t make these things comfortable for wearing all day long.” 

They exchanged a few more glances of sympathetic grins and small chuckles at the odd situation they had found both themselves and each other in. Then, Aspasia turned to leave, but as she reached the door, Kassandra’s voice made her stop in her tracks.

“Aspasia...” It was almost a whisper and when Aspasia turned around, Kassandra’s lips turned up in a shy smile and her cheeks blushed ever so slightly. “Just so you know...I mean... “Kassandra fumbled with her words and rubbed the back of her neck while trying to find them. “Well... I-I’ve missed you.” Though her smile was confident, her voice was almost timid and shook with uncertainty.

Aspasia couldn’t help but give her a fond smile in return while she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Kassandra’s strong shoulders. “I missed you too... my mighty misthios…” 

Kassandra drew in a deep breath and held fast to Aspasia when she tried to move away. The arms around her shoulders tightened, and they indulged in their long overdue embrace for just a few moments longer. It was a wordless conversation between two people who were lost to one another for far too long.

**Ξ**

Aspasia grumbled as she hung up her phone and went to her closet to find a jacket to wear that could withstand the rain. The studio wasn’t _that_ far, she could walk it easily and still be on time if she left now. Once she found one she hoped would be up to the task she grabbed her keys, purse, and umbrella then made her way out onto the rainy streets of National City.

The further she got from home, the worse this plan seemed to get. It wasn’t long until she regretted her decision but carried on anyway even as she looked down at her boots after stepping through a mud puddle. _So much for these..._

Not even three blocks into her trip a car drove by as she was about to step off a curb and sent a tidal wave of water splashing up and over the sidewalk, all over her previously priceless outfit. Aspasia shook her hands out and sighed heavily as she looked down at herself. ‘What a lovely start to my day...’ and it was all after somewhat reconciling things with Kassandra. This was the first time in a long time that she actually felt an excitement for a new job, only fueled further by getting to spend time with her long lost misthios, even if only as friends. Yet the gods still seemed to enjoy tormenting her on days when she had the audacity to hope would be good ones.  
She didn’t even look at the cars as she crossed the street when the light gave the signal, instead walked with her eyes on the ground in front of her while she wondered what else today would bring. A loud roar of an engine being revved next to her startled Aspasia out of her thoughts. At first she ignored it, and then it came again closer this time so that the ground beneath her feet trembled slightly at its growl. This time she looked up and saw Kassandra looking at her curiously through the window of a silver Ferrari.

Aspasia’s eyes grew wide at the sight. First, from the surprise of seeing Kassandra. Second, from seeing the former misthios driving a car. Third, from how handsome Kassandra looked while wearing a dark brown leather jacket, black shirt and tight fitting black trousers. 

“Never thought I’d find you caught in the rain.” Kassandra quipped.

Aspasia blinked and quickly recovered her composure. “My car had a flat this morning, so I decided to walk to work.”

“During a downpour?” Kassandra’s eyes sparkled in amusement. 

“It’s not like I could control what weather I would be walking in.” Aspasia made a grand gesture to the sky. 

“True.“ Kassandra grinned. “Would you like a ride? You might get sick if you walk all the way there in the rain.”

The offer made Aspasia smile and she accepted it with a small smile as she moved to open the door to the car and get in. “I must admit. This is not what I expected to see you driving around in. You never seemed to have an expensive taste before.” She said as she buckled her seat belt.

Kassandra steered the car back out onto the street. “I bought it with part of my share of the earnings from helping some treasure hunters a few years ago. The cost was only a small portion of that, really.”

Aspasia gave a curious glance. “What did you do with the rest?”

“I kept some of it, enough to live comfortably, but I donated most of it to charities.” She said it in a way that no one really talked in this modern age. It was so easily said, as if there wouldn’t have been anything else one could have done with their riches. “I only got one percent of the earnings, but it was still more than I would ever need.”

“That’s very kind of you, Kassandra.” Aspasia smiled fondly at her.

The misthios shrugged. “I don’t think it has anything to do with kindness. It would be wrong of me to keep it all to myself while there are children without homes and dying of a disease that they didn’t deserve to have.”

The smile on Aspasia’s face grew wider as she gazed at the other woman. Suddenly she regretted her comment the day before about Kassandra only caring about drachmae. Kassandra had always cared for and sacrificed for those around her. It was refreshing to know that she truly hadn’t changed. She was still the same kind hearted misthios as she was in ancient times, just now with a horse made of carbon fiber and a leather jacket instead of armor.

“Would you like to stop for coffee on the way? We have a little time.” Kassandra broke the silence.

“Coffee would be wonderful. Especially with the day we have ahead of us.”

“True.” Kassandra agreed with a sigh. “I heard something about chariots. Though I doubt these people even bothered to learn what a real Greek chariot looked like.”

The two of them shared a laugh as Kassandra steered the car through the drive-thru of her favored coffee shop. Aspasia looked up and noted the name, The Planet. When they got to the window, Kassandra ordered one large black coffee for herself and then turned to Aspasia. “And for you?”

Aspasia considered her order for a long moment and then leaned across the car so that she could speak directly to the barista. “I would like a vanilla macchiato with an extra shot, also with cream and honey but only eco-friendly honey. Also, please make sure it’s exactly one-hundred and twenty degrees, no more, no less.”

The barista frantically wrote down the order and confirmed it with her. When she leaned back into her seat, Kassandra was giving her an incredulous look.

“What?” Aspasia shrugged with a defensive display of her hands. “I’ve never been here. I don’t know if they know how to make it correctly.”

Kassandra only rolled her eyes and put the car in park while they waited for their orders. While hers arrived at the window in a matter of minutes, it took much longer for them to get Aspasia’s right. When they finally handed it to Kassandra through the window it was scalding hot even through the cardboard grip on the cup, and she gingerly placed it in the cupholder next to Aspasia. Making sure it was as snug as possible so as not to make a mess when she pulled away from the window. 

The Ferrari’s engine purred as they left the parking lot and turned back out onto the busy street. Aspasia watched Kassandra as they drove, while the other kept her eyes fixed on the road. There was hardly a pause in her movements as she flicked a button on the steering wheel of the car to turn on the stereo. After a few beeps, the voice of Tracy Chapman filled the airwaves of the car. Aspasia grinned as she watched Kassandra’s fingers on the steering wheel and gearshift tap along with the music. Just the same as she used to do when at the helm of the Adrestia and her crew would sing sea chanties. Once in a while she would hum along with the music, just as she used to with her crew.  

When she chuckled Kassandra looked over at her.

“What?” Kassandra asked, eyebrow raised in confusion.  
Aspasia laughed softly. “Nothing. I’m just...” She looked down at her coffee cup while trying to find the right words. “I’m glad I found you again.” A fond smile played on her lips when she met the other woman’s gaze.

Kassandra returned the smile then looked back out the windshield. “I feel the same, Aspasia. I can’t imagine trying to get through this job while being the only one who has ever even seen Greece.”

The two women shared a laugh as Kassandra turned the car into the parking lot of the studio. Once it was parked, Kassandra sighed,.picked up her coffee from the cup holder, and then looked over at Aspasia. “Are you ready?”

Aspasia sighed and looked at her sympathetically. “As ready as we’re going to be.” They shared a smile and gave a toast of their coffee cups before stepping out of the car to begin their day. 

**Ξ**

After going through the grueling process of getting ready for filming, Kassandra finally saw the light of day again. The rain clouds had ceased their relentless downpour, and the sun peaked from behind them. Kassandra took a moment to enjoy the beam of sunlight on her face as she took a deep breath of the fresh rainy air and reveled in a small moment of peace.

It didn’t last long, as Derek appeared in front of her with bright eyes and an optimistic look in his eyes. “Kassandra! Good morning! I was hoping to catch you early today.”

“Why is that?” Kassandra looked a little concerned.

“Follow me.” He motioned with his hand. “We need to introduce you to your new co-star.”

Kassandra gave him a perplexed look but followed him. “New? But I already have Aspasia.”

Derek laughed. “A different one. She’s nice. I’m sure you two will get along. Hopefully anyway.”  
On the far side of the forested portion of the set there was a make-shift animal pen, along with a large truck and horse trailer. A you woman with dark blonde hair worn in braided pig tails stood in the center of the pen alongside a tall golden horse with a white mane and tail. The horse perked it’s ears and looked at Kassandra as they approached and tossed it’s head as if it was trying to greet the two humans who came up to the fence.

“Kassandra,” Derek said as he guided her over to the pen. “Meet Argo. She’ll be playing Xena’s trusty steed.”

“Argo...” Kassandra repeated the name softly as held her hand out for the mare to sniff. Once she seemed to accept her, Kassandra gently ran her hand up and down the horse’s nose. “What a fine horse you are.” She said while looking her over. The mare was almost a full head taller than Kassandra at the top of her shoulders and had a long swan-like neck and head with bright intelligent eyes. 

 “I take it you named her after the ship?” Kassandra inquired as she ran her hand down the animal’s neck.

“Yes actually, we thought it would be fitting.” The woman looked impressed and smiled. 

“It is, and it's a good strong name.” Kassandra said, looking back to Argo and giving her a scratch behind the ears. “I wonder what people would think if they ever knew it was a real ship.”

Derek and the horse wrangler exchanged confused glances before Derek cleared his throat to brush off the awkward moment. “Well, I’ll leave you to get acquainted. We’ll be starting filming later. Moondance, please make sure she’s prepared. We don’t want any accidents today.”

Kassandra cast a curious look over at the other woman. “Moondance? That is your name?”  
  
Moondance laughed as a blush colored her cheeks. “Yeah, my mom is very...eclectic. I know, it’s weird.”  
Kassandra shook her head. “It’s not weird. You have a lovely name, almost like something Artemis would have named her own children.”

The young woman smiled. “I think that’s he nicest thing anyone has ever said about my name. Thank you Kassandra.” She then motioned to Argo. “So, do you know how to ride?”

“It’s been a while, but I still remember how to. Though she is much taller than my Phobos.”  
“Phobos? You have your own horse?” Moondance looked excited.

“A long time ago.” Kassandra answered as she moved over to Argo’s side and placed her foot in the stirrup. “And I never rode him with these things. It was quite revolutionary the first time I had a saddle with them.”

“They...do make it easier.” Moondance replied with a soft laugh while Kassandra got settled in the saddle. “Let’s just start with some simple maneuvers. I just want to see how you two get along before we do anything complicated.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Kassandra grinned as she gently drew one rein across Argo’s neck and pressed with her inside leg against her belly.

Argo responded quickly, following her rider’s direction and stepping into a quick spin. Once Kassandra was satisfied with that she let up on her pressure and then squeezed with both legs, adding a click of her tongue to ask the horse to go forward. Argo took off in a smooth canter around the pen, responding within a fraction of a second when Kassandra would ask her to turn or stop.

They moved in perfect sync, and it gave Kassandra fond memories of the times she rode across Ancient Greece with Phobos. The wind on her face and sun warming their backs as they traversed dark forests and misty mountains. It was a wonderful feeling to be taken back to the peaceful times in her life. It was during those long stretches on the road that Kassandra truly felt free, a feeling that she hadn’t experienced since.

For her final test of Argo’s abilities. Kassandra rode her to the far end of the pen and then asked for a full tilt sprint. The pen was long enough that the big mare could almost reach full speed. It only took a few strides for her to get there. Once she reached full speed, Kassandra sat back in the saddle and released the pressure from her legs around Argo’s belly. Argo responded and slid to a perfect halt.

“I think she likes you.” Moondance said as she approached. “I’ve never seen her do anything like that for any of our wranglers.”

Kassandra grinned as she gave the mare a well-deserved scratch on the neck. “I like her too.” She said, more to Argo than the other woman. “I think we will be good friends.”

Moondance sighed with a look of relief and then an excited smile. “That’s great. I was afraid that if you two didn’t get along we would have to send her back to the rescue facility.”

“Rescue?” Kassandra’s eyebrows arched in concern as she asked Argo to walk around the pen more. 

“Yeah, the studio didn’t want to pay a lot of money for horses, so they got a bunch of them from The Rescue Ranch nearby. They take in horses who were abused or abandoned by their owners.” Moondance motioned to Argo. “In her case, she’s been there so long that they can’t keep her up for adoption anymore. They only have so many stalls and space for all the animals, so if she had to go back now then she would probably be euthanized.”

Kassandra asked Argo to stop and she looked down at the animal. “Why has she been there for so long?”

Moondance shrugged. “Because she’s a Mustang, and up until recently couldn’t be ridden at all. For a while she also had a lot of aggression issues. I was the only one she would allow into her stall for months.”

“Mustang? You mean one of those wild horses?” 

“Yes. They captured her along with her herd during a roundup. Many of the horses from those roundups are sent off to be slaughtered for dog food, and they auction the rest. They say its to keep the population down.” The girl looked like she was in pain from just talking about it, and Kassandra couldn’t help but feel the same way. “When we found her, she was cooped up in someone’s make-shift barn, and was skin and bones. She also has these scars here.” Moondance motioned to several that were on the horse’s belly and flanks. “Probably from some old cowboy who didn’t realize that you can’t ‘ride the buck out’ of every horse, and then they just left her in there when they thought she was no good.”

Kassandra looked down at Argo again who turned her head to look back at her. She struggled to think of any reason that someone would leave an animal in that condition, and in a way reminded her of how she had been abandoned by her own family. “Are the other horses that we will be using like her?” She asked.

“Most of them. Some of them were given to us by folks who just can’t afford a horse anymore and instead wanted them to have a chance at a new home. Part of the reason we get to use them is because the Rescue Ranch made a deal with the studio to help promote their cause. With any luck, some of them might even get adopted after being seen on T.V.” Moondance explained, as her eyes brightened and there was a glimmer of hope in them. 

‘At least she’s optimistic.’ Kassandra thought. It was a good thing that they were doing. The misthios had seen more than her fair share of the mistreatment of animals throughout all of history. Argo shifted underneath her and pulled Kassandra out of her thoughts. After one last glance down at the horse, she nodded to herself and then looked to Moondance. 

“You know, I have a bit of land along with my house. I could consider adopting Argo after all the filming is over.”

The wrangler’s face lit up in pure joy. “Really? Well, actually, you could adopt her right now. Then you would be free to ride her while you’re on the set all you want, and we can still take care of her for you while you’re filming.” The words tumbled out of the girl’s mouth as she practically vibrated with excitement. 

Kassandra held up her hand to stop the cavalcade of words flowing from the young woman’s lips. “I’ll think about it. She is a lovely horse but I would like to get to know her a bit better before I sign anything.”

Moondance deflated a little, but still looked hopeful. “I suppose that’s fair. Horses are a lot of work, and they can be finicky at the best of times.” She said with a laugh and a little scratch to Argo’s nose. “Well, in that case, I’ll at least go and tell Derek that you’re ready. In the meantime, feel free to ride her around okay?”

“That I will definitely accept. This is much better than those tiny carts everyone else drives around in.” Kassandra replied as the girl grinned and turned to leave. 

Argo looked back at Kassandra who reached down and gave her one more stroke on the neck before sitting up in the saddle and giving the horse a gentle nudge with her heels. “Alright, lets go find more coffee shall we Argo?” She said to the horse who tossed her head in agreement as she steered her through the now open gate of the pen.  

**Ξ**

Aspasia arrived at the site for the first scene of the morning, after being given a ride to it by one of the camera women who was driving one of the small carts. The rain had completely given way to a shining day and she couldn’t have been happier. Though she had the advantage of wearing boots with her costume, she still wasn’t thrilled about working on a muddy set for the day.  
She stepped out of the cart and picked up her prop staff from the back and made her way over to where they would begin the scene. There were several very non-Greek looking huts set up in what was supposed to be a village. In the center of which she found Kassandra sitting astride a large horse with a coffee cup in one hand and a maple covered doughnut in the other.

Aspasia giggled softly to herself. It was a sight she never thought she would see. It was a welcome one because Kassandra had always looked good on the back of a horse, but she couldn’t help but be amused at how the former mighty Eagle Bearer had adapted to modern life. Before she was noticed, Aspasia reached into the small satchel she carried, both for practicality and as a prop for Gabrielle and pulled out her phone to snap a picture.

Just then Kassandra looked over at her. “Aspasia, you made it.”

“I did, and I see you’ve found our new food stand.”

“Yes, it’s very convenient. Now I don’t have to send Fran to get me coffee. I doubt they have all  
the ingredients for the kind you like though.”

“It’s not nearly as complex as it sounded.” Aspasia assured her.

“Aspasia you’re finally here!” Derek called as she crossed the set. “And I see you’re getting  
along with your new co-star Kassandra.”

“I am, she is very easy to work with, unlike the other one.” This earned her a glare from Aspasia.  
  
“I’m sorry I don’t let you ride on me while you eat junk food.”

“Except for that one night when we-”

Aspasia cut her off with a light tap on her leg with the staff.

“Ladies, can we keep the bickering to a minimum today?” Derek interrupted, and Aspasia glared up at the other actress who grinned and took a sip of her coffee. “We have a lot to do. Let's go.” He ordered while snapping his fingers and heading off towards his seat.

**Ξ**

The scene they would be filming on that day took place in the small village set that they stood in where Xena was supposed to save a town from invading warlords. During the episode, Gabrielle was scripted to be captured by the enemy who are driving chariots, and as Kassandra expected they were nothing like real chariots in Greece.

In the script Xena was supposed to ambush the kidnappers from a tree branch overlooking the shallow river bed that they were using to get away. Kassandra waited on her mark near the tree branch which had been fashioned out of a metal rod and only made to look like a tree branch to provide the actress with extra stability. Off in the distance she could see the rest of the team getting Aspasia ready for her own part of the scene.

They had her stand on one side of the chariot alongside the stunt actor who was playing one of the bandits. A feeling washed over Kassandra, the same one she used to get when dealing with bandits on the roads of Greece. The crew tightened straps around Aspasia’s hips and legs, along with the stunt driver, and Kassandra leaned over to Fran who was touching up her make-up.

“What are they doing?” She asked, pointing at the chariots.

“Oh, safety equipment. It’s so they don’t fall off until they’re supposed to during the stunts.”

Kassandra mulled that answer over, but still didn’t feel at ease with the whole thing. “But...what if something happens, can they get out?”

“Yeah, those things have releases on them if they pull hard enough.”

Once everyone was in position, Derek called for action and Kassandra moved out to her position on the tree. The stunt men shook the reins on the horses and they took off down the river bed. The bad feeling Kassandra had sunk into further into her stomach as the horses barreled forward, and they hadn’t made it more than a hundred yards from the starting point that her gut instinct turned out to be right.

Aspasia and the stunt man were doing their part of the acting, where Gabrielle was struggling to get away. She landed the stage punch in perfect form and the stunt man fell backwards. The safety gear released as designed when he pulled on it in a specific way and he fell back onto a mat that was hidden under the dirt. The trouble was that the reins they intended him to hand to Aspasia flew out of his hand as he fell backward and were now being dragged on the ground. 

In the distance, Derek called for a cut over the megaphone, but Aspasia’s horses kept on galloping with no one to stop them. The stunt men reached out a hand and yelled for Aspasia to release her safety gear and fall back as they maneuvered their chariot closer.Aspasia yelled back to them that her foot was caught in the constraints that weren’t releasing. One of the stunt men reached for the other horses' reins but couldn't get ahold of them. 

The horses that pulled Aspasia’s chariot darted to the side to avoid a large rock in the middle of the river bed. The stunt men weren’t as lucky. The wheel of their chariot clipped the rock and sent it crashing onto its side just as they passed under the branch that Kassandra was supposed to jump from. Aspasia’s horses cried out in fear from the sound behind them and zig zagged in panic as they thundered around the bend in the river. 

Kassandra sprinted from the branch towards Argo. There was no way she was going to be able to keep up with two frightened horses. Several crew members attempted to stop her, she shoved them all out of the way and clambered up onto Argo’s back.

Derek and his camera men arrived in a jeep just as Kassandra and Argo took off. He yelled after her but quickly realized it was no good. “Follow them, and make sure that camera is on.”

“Shouldn’t we help them?” The driver looked appauled at the instruction even as she stepped on the gas pedal.

“We’re going to but we can probably use some of this.” Derek said while hanging on to the hand-holds of the jeep as they followed them.

On the chariot Aspasia continued to try to undo the constraints around her foot while the chariot jostled and bounced over rocks and holes in the riverbed. She gripped onto the lip of the chariot as she tried to reach down and undo them herself. The chariot hit another large rock and teetered on one wheel as it sent Aspasia tumbling forward in it. She yelled in pain as her foot became twisted and tangled in the ropes and still they hadn’t released even as she yanked on her foot in panic which only caused the pain to shoot up through her leg and her whole body.

The horses darted back and forth across the riverbed to avoid tripping over rocks. The thuds and creaks of the chariot bouncing around behind them and Aspasia’s involuntary sounds of anguish only fueled their horse’s panic. The jostling also didn’t help Aspasia’s attempts to untangle the straps. Every rock they hit threw her back against the floor of the chariot. 

Up on the river bank, Kassandra and Argo were gaining on them, but as they got further down the river, the bed got deeper and deeper. If she had any hope of catching up, she would need to trust in her new steed. Kassandra steadied herself as she focused on a section of the bank that jutted out over the ground below.

“Ela Argo, jump!” Kassandra commanded, and Argo’s ears perked forward, she whinnied back in response as both horse and rider gathered themselves before making a great leap down into the riverbed. They hit the ground and Argo dug in and every stride became a powerful leap over the ground as she stepped carefully between the rocks.

Aspasia screamed as she yanked on her foot one last time, pain ran up her leg and body like lightning bolts but the restraints finally released. There was no time to breathe. She reached for the lip of the chariot and gripped it for all she had as she pulled herself up to stand. The chariot clattered over a large rock and Aspasia would have flown out of the back had she not been hanging on as tightly. Through bleary tear-filled eyes she looked out to find somewhere to jump to and saw Kassandra reaching out to her from atop Argo as they galloped just behind the chariot. 

When she tried to grasp Kassandra’s hand the horses suddenly darted to the side and the chariot almost tipped over onto its side. Aspasia could barely keep her grip, but kept herself from falling into the jagged rocks below. 

“Jump Aspasia.” Kassandra called as they caught up again.

“Are you crazy?” Aspasia yelled back.

“Just do it. I’ll catch you.” Kassandra yelled back as she held out her hand once more.

Aspasia hesitated. There were no mats here, and the terrain was covered in huge sharp rocks that could easily kill her if this went wrong, and there was a slight chance that Kassandra wouldn’t be able to catch her.

“Trust me!” Kassandra extended her hand even further to where she was practically hanging off the saddle.

Aspasia nodded and prepared herself for the pain that was to come, then finally leapt from the chariot with all the strength she could muster.  She hung in the air for only a moment before Kassandra’s arms clenched tightly around her and she was pulled up onto the warrior’s lap. 

“Are you alright?” Kassandra asked between panting breaths as she pulled Argo to a gentle stop. 

“I just sprained my ankle, I think.” Aspasia groaned as she clung to her rescuer with her eyes shut tight and brows wrinkled from the pain that throbbed in her foot and ankle. “I’ll be okay. Just… give me a moment.”

Kassandra ran her hand down Aspasia’s leg in an attempt to help soothe her, but the slightest brush of her hand pulled a whimper of pain from the other woman. Immediately she pulled her hand away and instead just held Aspasia while they waited for the medical van to arrive.

“I really hope this is not what you meant by starting today on the right foot.” Kassandra tried to lighten the mood, if only a little. Aspasia laughed at the joke. It distracted her from her pain, but only for a moment.

The medical van appeared at the top of the river bank and drove down to them. Within seconds there was a swarm of people in paramedic gear around them. “We need to take her to the ambulance and check for any other injuries.” A woman said as she tried to examine Aspasia’s leg through her boot, then motioned to the van. 

Kassandra nodded and steered Argo over to the van making sure that she didn’t have to step over any rocks or holes in the ground so as not to jostle Aspasia too much. When they got there, the medics helped Aspasia down from the horse and into the back of the van. A lump formed in Kassandra’s throat as she watched the medics pull the actress’s boot off of her foot to reveal how badly bruised and swollen Aspasia’s leg was. 

When the medics moved, they blocked her view, but Kassandra stayed anyway.   
You don’t have to go through this alone…’ She thought while waiting in silence next to Argo after dismounting. 

“Kassandra!” Derek called to her from his seat in the Jeep as they pulled up to the scene.“Hey, is she alright?” He asked as he got out of the car.

“No, she is not.” Kassandra’s hands went to her hips. “How could you put her in safety equipment that did not even remotely keep her safe?”

Derek was taken aback. “They were supposed to keep her on the chariot, but release if she needed them to.”

“Well, they didn’t.”

The man shrank a little under Kassandra’s dark expression. “Look, these things happen. Things malfunction. Besides, we got some great footage out of all of that. You did a great job out there.” He tried to turn the tide of the conversation back to neutral, but Kassandra was already to a point of fury that even Poseidon would struggle to contain.

“That’s what you're worried about?!” Kassandra yelled. “Your stupid film? Not a woman who could have been killed by you and your crew’s failures.”

“In case you forgot Kassandra, this is a _film_ set. That’s what we do here, film.” Derek argued back.” And it would’ve helped if you hadn’t run off even though everyone here told you not to.”

“What was I supposed to do? Just sit here and watch my lover get dragged away by crazed animals?”

“Lover?” The cameraman questioned from his seat in the jeep. Derek also looked confused at the choice of words.

“You mean Xena’s girlfriend, _right_?” Derek’s question was more like a thinly veiled accusation. 

Kassandra blushed when she realized what she said. “Yes...I meant, Xena’s girlfriend.” She played with the word on her tongue as she spoke it. It was still very foreign to her that people in this day and age downplayed the significance of someone special being in their lives. “She wouldn’t just sit there and do nothing, so I acted how I felt she would.”

Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before responding. “Well, next time, just follow the script. We will take extra measures to make sure nothing like this happens again, but if it does, I need you to stay out of the way next time.” Just like on her first day, his features softened for a moment. “I understand that you wanted to help, but next time, just let the crew do their jobs.”

There was a long moment of silence as Kassandra glowered back at him with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Eventually she nodded in agreement and said nothing else. Derek seemed to accept this, though Kassandra knew full well that if the situation came down to it, she would repeat her actions without hesitation. Not that anyone else needed to know that right now.

“Good.” Derek said. “Now, why don’t you go take a break, we still have a lot of work to do.”

“We can’t work without Aspasia, can we?”

“We’ll just do scenes without her for now.” He said as he turned to get back in the jeep.

‘Wonderful.’ Kassandra thought. ‘Now I have to deal with you idiots all by myself.’ She shook her head and looked back to the ambulance just as the medics closed the back doors and drove out of the riverbank. Argo neighed and reared up before trying to take off after the vehicle. 

Kassandra pulled back on the reins to stop her despite sharing the horse’s sentiment.“We can’t go with her right now, Argo.” 

Argo snorted and stamped the ground with her hoof, still pulling on the reins a little. 

“I know, we’ll go and check on her later.” Kassandra said, thankful that no one was around to see her having a conversation with a horse. “Thank you for your help today. I will definitely sign those adoption papers today.” She said while running her hand up and down Argo’s nose. Argo nickered back softly and rubbed her head up against Kassandra’s arm. 

Kassandra chuckled at the display while she gathered the reins in her hands. “Well, I will definitely need more coffee if I’m going to get through the rest of this day, and you deserve a treat for your efforts.” Argo just tossed her head and whinnied in agreement as she followed Kassandra and the two of them began their trek back down the winding riverbed. 

**Ξ**

The evening sunset that washed in through the windows found Aspasia laying on her couch in a soft cotton robe and the softest slippers imaginable with her foot elevated on a small pillow. There was an ice pack over it to help keep the swelling down, and she had a bowl of popcorn on her lap which she slowly ate piece by piece while letting herself be enthralled by America’s Next Top Model.

There was a soft knock on her front door, and Aspasia groaned while reaching for her crutches. The last thing she wanted to do right now was get up, let alone make the trek to the door. It required her to first peel herself off the couch then hobble her way over to and down the stairs that led to her down.

Part of her hoped that whoever it was would just be gone by the time she got there with how long it took her to reach it. She nearly dropped her crutches when she saw the person standing outside after opening the door.

“Kassandra?” That was the last person she expected to see on her doorstep.

Kassandra waved awkwardly. “I... just wanted to come by and see how you were feeling. I also brought you these.” She held up a box of chocolates and a small bouquet of assorted red and gold flowers. “I thought they might help you feel better.”

Aspasia felt her heart melt at the gesture. “They’re wonderful Kassandra, thank you.” Then she looked down at her crutches and leg, then back into the house. “Though I’m feeling alright, aside from the obvious, being without one foot does make it difficult to get around.”

“I can carry them inside for you.”

Aspasia gave an appreciative nod and stepped aside to allow Kassandra inside. The misthios stepped inside and went swiftly up the stairs to set the gifts on the coffee table by the couch, then returned to Aspasia who had barely made it to the base of the steps. Kassandra leaned down and held out her arms. “May I?”

Without a second though Aspasia set the crutches aside and wrapped her arms around Kassandra’s shoulders. Kassandra stepped carefully up the stairs with the blonde in her arms. Aspasia’s moment of bliss from being wrapped up in those strong arms was shorter than she would have liked, and she almost whined in disappointment when she was set down on the couch.

Kassandra disappeared down the stairs for only a second before appearing again with the crutches in hand which she placed next to the couch. Then she knelt down again next to Aspasia as she looked her over. “There, I think you should be set for the evening. You do look rather cozy.”

Aspasia laughed as she shifted back into the plush cushions. “I think I’ll survive.” She said while placing her foot back on the pillow.

“Not with your foot barely elevated like that.” Kassandra said with a frown as she surveyed the rest of the room until she found a large feather stuffed pillow that sat in the chair across from them. She grabbed it and tenderly lifted Aspasia’s foot before placing it under it. “There, that will help much more than the little one you were using.”

“Thank you,” Aspasia said with a soft smile, “for the pillow and for what you did today.”

Kassandra returned the smile. “It was no trouble, though you really should get yourself a stunt double. Or at least make sure the gear is safe.”

There was a laugh from the blonde. “I know, I heard you yelling at the director.”

“You did?” A bright red blush immediately colored Kassandra’s cheeks. “A-All of it?”

“Yes, all of it.” A knowing smirk played on Aspasia’s features. “You weren’t exactly keeping your opinions to yourself. You did mean Xena’s girlfriend, right?” The question was playful.

Kassandra nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, of course that’s who I meant. Though I can’t imagine anyone would just stand by and watch something like that happen. Especially when it’s someone they care about.”

Aspasia reached out and brushed her hand over Kassandra’s, then met her gaze with a gentle one of her own. “I know why you did it,” her voice was soft, “and I trust you. I wouldn’t have jumped into the arms of anyone else. Especially not while they were hanging off the back of a galloping horse.” A smile turned up on her lips when Kassandra’s fingers intertwined with her own.

“You know I would have never let you fall.” Kassandra sealed her words with a kiss to the back of Aspasia’s hand before standing up and surveying the house once again, and then Aspasia’s leg. “Is there anything else you need before I go?”

 _Only for you to stay..._ Aspasia thought as she let herself commit her view of Kassandra in the light of the setting sun to memory. Outwardly she only shook her head. No matter how much she wanted to keep the misthios here, she was not hers to keep anymore. They had separate lives now. She had given up her claim on Kassandra’s time and heart two-thousand years ago.

“I suppose I’ll be going then.” Kassandra said as she looked toward the stairs, but still didn’t leave quite yet. The darkness in her amber eyes and chewing of her lip suggested that she too was having an internal struggle when she looked back to Aspasia once more. “I could...come by in the morning before work to check on you again. I’m sure you’ll need someone to help you make breakfast as well. A healthy one of course...to help you get better. We will need you back as soon as possible.”

Aspasia smiled broadly at the offer, and her eyes sparkled with a completely unbidden fondness. “I would love that.”

Kassandra returned the smile, “It’s a deal then. I will see you in the morning Aspasia. Keep that elevated, if I don’t see you using that pillow in the morning I will tie it to your foot.”

“Please no...” Aspasia grimaced, but laughed along with Kassandra just before she turned to leave and disappeared down the stairs, leaving the room just a little colder than before. Aspasia just attributed it to the sun finally disappearing behind the horizon and taking it’s warmth with it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
> 
> References:  
> Moondance - This character was a reference to the character Moondance Alexander from the movie of the same name. She was a young teenage girl who helped a down and out trainer and a horse named Checkers.
> 
> National Treasure - The treasure hunters that Kassandra refers to.
> 
> The Planet - The coffee shop from The L Word
> 
> Medaglia d'Oro - The chapter title in itself is a reference to two things. I was going to title this chapter Coffee and Horses, but then got this idea. Medaglia d'Oro is a brand of italian coffee that is known for its rich taste and dark color. There was also a race horse named after this coffee who is the sire of two of the greatest racing fillies we've seen in recent years. Their names are Rachel Alexandra, and Songbird. Be sure to google them if you'd like to learn more about them!
> 
> That's it for today folks, be sure to tune in next time!


	3. Not So Wicked After All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kassandra backs up her promise to cook breakfast for Aspasia, and they both reflect on their past and present. While Kassandra makes new friends and work and learns more about where Aspasia has been hiding in plain sight all this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I'm so sorry that this chapter took so damn long to finish, but I did it! For some reason chapter 3 of a new fic is always the biggest challenge for me. I hope you enjoy it, and the next one is already on it's way. Let me know if you catch all the references in this chapter!

The darkness of the next morning found Kassandra tossing and turning in her bed, wide awake after only sleeping for a mere two hours. With a frustrated shove she moved the blankets and heaved a sigh. Absently her gaze went to the window and to the moon that still hung above the horizon. The light of the stars that normally comforted the misthios were dwarfed to being unrecognizable dim thanks to the harsh glow of the city.

Although it wasn’t a very long drive to an area where the view of the stars was undisturbed by man’s technology, it still saddened her a little that she couldn’t just sit outside and pretend that she was back on the rolling hills of Greece. When life was simple. Or at least, simple to her.  
Back then it was just as chaotic as it is today, not that it’s what historians would have the masses believe. They liked to think life in her time was sophisticated and romantic. Even though it was just the same as it was now, only without all the distractions from it all. Historians also pushed the idea that Sokrates was the most influential person in all of philosophy and never gave credit to the one who taught him the method that he preached. Aspasia.

Aspasia... The name had run across Kassandra’s mind since she left the other woman’s house the night before. With every other thought eventually leading back to her and now keeping her from getting even a little rest. Kassandra replayed the events of the past few days over and over until she couldn’t stand it anymore and eventually her memories twisted into the ones that she had tried so hard to forget for the past two-thousand years.

The hunt for the Cult of Kosmos had nearly consumed her very being and turned her into a monster fueled by rage and revenge. One she didn’t even recognize when it was all said and done, and part of her was glad that Aspasia hadn’t been around to see her that way. At least that’s what she had thought. Until now, she had been led to believe that the Cult themselves had murdered Aspasia by throwing her off the same gods forsaken mountain that Kassandra had barely survived. 

Memories of fire and blood flooded her mind, all of it was a blur to her now and yet they still haunted her. They always left a foul taste in her mouth and made her stomach twist into knots when she remembered some of the more vicious ways she had dispatched of the members of the cult. All in the name of revenge, for her love, her family, and yet when it was all over she had felt even more empty than when she began her quest. The permanent wound on her soul had driven her to eventually leave Greece and retreat into comfortable obscurity while the world unfolded around her, forever wondering if the decisions she made were right, or if she was just cursed. Never once knowing that her love had been out there but afraid to return.

Kassandra growled as she fought the memories off and sat up on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands until they subsided. When they did she tiredly looked over at her clock, an old one with the little bells on the top, the digital ones always cast a glow over her room and made it difficult to sleep. It told her that it was much to early to get a start on her day, but there was no sense in just laying in bed.

With a deep breath Kassandra stood up and wandered down the hallway of her house, not bothering to turn on any lights. She paused at the top of her stairs and looked down at the kitchen and living room which were just one big room complete with a fireplace that bisected two large windows that on a sunny day filled the entire space with its light. Right now it was just quiet, and dark. In a way it was comforting while she made her way down to the kitchen to prepare some coffee. The longer it stayed that way the more time she had before she had to face Aspasia again.

She made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee, only pausing to cast a glance over to her spear which hung on a display rack above the fireplace. With the mug of Medaglia D’oro Coffee in her hand she walked out to the patio at the back of her home and took a seat in the soft basket chair that she had situated under the awning and took her first sip of the drink.

The truth was that she knew very little about how and why Aspasia even got the role of Gabrielle. Kassandra had auditioned for the role purely out of boredom after reading a casting call that a barista at her favorite coffee shop mentioned to her. She hadn’t expected to get the job, since she didn’t have that much experience with acting outside of helping a few friends in ancient times with their plays.

Despite the frustrations of it all, she had found herself enjoying her new job, though she had no intent to pursuing a career in acting. Once it was over, she’d be happy to fade back into obscurity. Now, however, she was intent on sticking with it to gather information about the cult that had somehow slipped through the cracks. There was no way to identify them or gain some idea about how to track them in this modern age without Aspasia’s help. If she was in fact telling the truth about their survival.

The faintest hints of dawn were beginning to show in the inky black sky above. The cool morning air mixed with the steam from her coffee mug put her mind at ease, though it was then that her heart got in on the conversation. Which never helped anything where Aspasia was concerned.

Even though they had gotten off to a rocky new-beginning, Kassandra was grateful that she was going through this new chapter of her life with a friendly face alongside her. Someone who knew her past and at least most of the hardships she had endured. Yet the pain of losing her still stung. Over the years, Kassandra had learned to ignore it by pushing it down into the depths of her heart like a pirate hid their sunken treasure in the sea, but Aspasia’s return was like someone drudging it up again, and there was no putting it back.

There had been other women, but none of them could ever hold a candle to Aspasia and Kassandra never stayed with them for very long. Since she knew that eventually she would out live them thanks to the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, and the only thing worse than losing a loved one was losing them and then having to continue on for thousands of years. In a way, Aspasia had taught her a valuable lesson by choosing to go into hiding and letting Kassandra believe she was dead. Never marry those you would outlive. Kassandra could almost hear that thought in Aspasia’s voice, and it made her smile.

Yet, Kassandra hadn’t outlived Aspasia, she had returned, albeit late. Still, Kassandra knew that far too much time had passed. There was no way that there could be anything between them anymore, but she still wanted to take her opportunity to make up for the mistakes she had made. It wasn’t an opportunity anyone else would get, and she would not waste it. With a newfound surge of confidence from her own reassurance, and the sun finally beginning to flood the sky with its light from behind the horizon Kassandra drained the last of her coffee and stood up to get ready for the rest of the day ahead. 

From the refrigerator she fetched the dough for the breakfast pies she had in mind for Aspasia’s breakfast. Then the feta cheese, eggs, and a large bushel of tomatoes. After placing the ingredients into a basket and double checking to make sure it was all secure Kassandra fetched her leather jacket and car keys. Along with the bag of extra clothing she would need on set that day then headed out to the car. The drive to Aspasia’s house would normally have only taken about fifteen minutes, but took a little longer this time because of Kassandra actually obeying the speed limits for once so as not to jostle the eggs too much. It would not do to show up at Aspasia’s home with a basket full of food covered in egg yolks.  

While her fingers tapped along with the beat of the music in the car Kassandra’s mind began to wander. All of this felt so familiar and yet so different. There once was a time where Kassandra would have done the same thing as she was doing now, taking care of Aspasia in her time of need. Although Phobos probably wouldn’t have been able to transfer fresh eggs without them getting broken.

Kassandra let her eyes scan the far off horizon of the ocean as she guided her car along the twisting highway that followed the curves of the shoreline into the city. The sun rising over the waves brought back memories of watching the same sunrise on nearly the other side of the world with Aspasia on the Adrestia when they would sit and eat their own breakfast together. Kassandra could feel the cool ocean breeze on her face just as it was this particular morning through the window of her car. With the waves gently rocking them as they sat on the deck with their feet dangling over the side. Some days they would sit in a comfortable silence, or talking quietly about their plans for the future and their dreams that had either been long abandoned or still held dear.

Aspasia’s home sat long the beach on the opposite side of the city alongside other houses that were equally luxurious as the one she owned. Kassandra had to steer the car down a winding driveway and then wait for an almost agonizingly long time for the gate to open before she could park the Ferrari in the circular parking area outside the door.

After checking that all the ingredients had stayed intact through the trip Kassandra got out of the car and looked up to the second floor of the house to see only one light glowing through a large window. It was early in the morning, but she hoped that Aspasia hadn’t forgotten their plans.  
“I suppose I can eat this myself if she doesn’t answer.” Kassandra muttered to herself while climbing the pearly white steps to the large wooden front door. After a deep breath of the cold morning air Kassandra reached out and poked the doorbell, then waited.

**Ξ**

With a smile and nod to herself Aspasia looked herself over in the giant mirror that spanned nearly the entire width of her bathroom. It was much too large for one person to ever need but it had come with the house. Her gaze flitted over herself multiple times and she would go to do little touch ups to her lip stick and blush before she decided that doing any more might just ruin her perfect look for the morning.

She spun on her good heel and made her way back to her bedroom where the first rays of sunlight were casting a soft glow onto the walls and surfaces as she sat down on her bed, careful not to wrinkle her dress. The crutches she had been using the day before sat propped against the bed and she glared at them. _‘All of this, just to have it marred by you...’_ She thought while searching the rest of the room for an alternative. In the corner was her leg brace that she had used on a skiing trip many years ago after an unfortunate accident that she would never admit happened on the bunny slopes. Oh how she wished Kassandra had been there that day, Aspasia thought to herself while fetching the brace and beginning to pull and lace it onto her foot.

No doubt the misthios would have laughed at her while helping her stand from the soft white powder after she had leaned just a little too far to the left and gone tumbling. She imagined how beautiful those amber eyes would have been, glittering with a mixture of amusement and worry. Aspasia just knew that Kassandra would carry her inside the cabin at the top of the world. There would be teasing her the rest of the evening over hot chocolate, and gentle touches every few moments just to make sure she was truly as all right as she claimed.

Aspasia frowned as her little morning dream ended, remembering that it was not Kassandra who had been there that day. Instead she had spent it with a simple yet charming Spanish man that she had come to love as a friend, but never anything more. It was with him that she had purchased her current residence. More like she had paid for it and he happened to live there. The only contribution he had really made to the decision was that it had a garage the size of a basketball stadium. Though he had only looked in that area of the house once in the entire time that they owned it.

He had always been away on his business, and that's how Aspasia preferred it. Their marriage was purely to keep up appearances with the public after she had come out of hiding in this modern age. It was a marriage of convenience, with neither of them ever truly expressing any physical attraction for the other, considering that both of them played for opposite teams when it came to love. at least Aspasia had after Perikles’ death and Kassandra had come into the picture.

It was almost like a joke written by the gods. Aspasia married a man to help him hide his true self from a judgmental world until the day came when he found the love he had been waiting for and no longer cared what society might think of it. In a way, it almost felt like she was repaying her debt to Perikles, who had married her to save face with the public of Athens, and give her a mask to hide behind while she puppeteer'd the cult. That was until Deimos and Myrinne had quite literally seized control of it from her. 

There was a rumble from the driveway that snapped Aspasia out of her thoughts as the Ferrari in the driveway announced Kassandra’s arrival. Aspasia quickly finished buckling the straps of the foot brace and crossed the room to look out her window and confirm that it was indeed Kassandra paying her the planned visit she had promised the night before.

With a beaming smile and her heart fluttering like butterfly wings the blonde left her room and made her way down the long hallways of her house just as the doorbell rang. She could hear her housemaid’s voice echo from the stairwell as she ushered Kassandra inside and then the gentle click of the door as it closed behind her. Followed by the heavy thumping of boots on wooden stairs. Even if things would never be the same between them and they would likely never be together again, Aspasia found herself excited that the mighty misthios had returned to her life.   
Aspasia stopped in her tracks as Kassandra climbed the last step up and into the solitary beam of sunlight that the gods must have placed in that moment just for her. It cast an ethereal glow around the misthios that simultaneously softened her features and yet made her look even more imposing than usual. The light played in her eyes and they almost seemed to sparkle as she smiled at her and Aspasia didn’t even notice the breath she held while taking the sight.

“You shouldn’t be walking around.” Kassandra scolded her as she set the basket that was slung over her arm on the floor and removed her leather jacket. The way that the black t-shirt she wore beneath it hugged her body perfectly and left those magnificent biceps exposed didn’t help Aspasia’s ability to breath. Neither did the deep forest scent of Kassandra’s cologne that filled her nose when she came close and began to wrap her arms around Aspasia, intending to carry her.

Just as Kassandra was starting to lift her off the ground Aspasia’s wits returned and she stopped the other woman with a forceful hand on her shoulder. “I assure you, that I can walk on my own.” She motioned the foot brace. “This keeps it immobile, as you and my doctor have so adamantly said I should, and it doesn’t look as hideous as those crutches.”

Kassandra scrunched up her features in disapproval but stepped back obediently. “Alright...but if I hear one bit of complaining from you, I will be carrying you to the couch. Understood? We can’t have you injuring yourself further.” She said sternly while picking up the basket and striding to the kitchen.

Aspasia giggled at the misthios and rolled her eyes. There was no changing her, and Aspasia wouldn’t have it any other way.

While Kassandra set about getting the food prepared Aspasia slowly made her way through the dining room that was attached to the kitchen, only separated by a small marble island in the center. At the far end of the room was a sliding glass door that led out onto the wide balcony that curled around the length of the house. Just beyond the doors sat a small glass-topped table with two chairs situated around it and a light umbrella to help keep the sun at bay on particularly hot summer days.

It was Aspasia’s favorite place to spend her mornings, and she sat down in the chair that was perfectly situated in the deck's corner. Then let her eyes wander out over the stunning view of the beach below. Although it was not long until Aspasia’s gaze returned to Kassandra who she could watch through the still open door.

Kassandra moved around the kitchen with the same purpose and poise as she always did. Every motion and decision was meticulous and decisive, whether she was swinging a sword or striking with a spear. Only now it was the scrambling of eggs, shredding cheese, and chopping assorted vegetables. Including perhaps the nicest-looking bushel of Aspasia’s favorite treat, tomatoes.

  
A fond memory floated through her mind of the day that Kassandra had learned the hard way not to get between the then dark haired woman and her favorite delicacy. Sure, the wine in Greece was still some of the best in the world. The olives they were still famous for today were wonderful too. Still nothing ever held a candle to the delicious sweet taste of tomatoes in her mind.

Aspasia watched in amusement and giggled softly behind her hand as she heard the classic growl of “Malaka” from the former misthios. Who was currently losing her battle with the food as she attempted to transfer it all into the soft dough that was intended to be folded over it all to create a pie. Though people in this day and age might only refer to it as a breakfast sandwich.

There was a clinking sound from the kitchen as Kassandra pulled down a plate from the cupboard and retrieved a fork from the drawer beneath it. In one swift motion she plated the food and made her way out onto the deck then placed it in front of Aspasia who smiled appreciatively up at her, then looked back to the plate.

“Only one plate?” She questioned the other woman with knitted brows.

“Well, it is your breakfast.” Kassandra answered with a shrug. “I’ll eat on the way to work.”

Aspasia sighed and rolled her eyes for the second time that morning. Then pointed at the other chair. “Sit down and eat.” She commanded, though being sure to keep her tone gentle even if her features told the misthios that she would not be taking no for an answer. “It is rude to make a meal in someone else’s house and then not be willing to eat it yourself. If I didn’t know better, I would assume you poisoned it.” She joked.  
  
“I would never poison it.” Kassandra said seriously. “I need you too much.” The way she spoke confused Aspasia. “Besides, I don’t want to end up being late.”

There was a knowing look in Aspasia’s eyes and it played on her lips as she grinned. “The thing about being the star. They wait for you. Not the other way around.” She rested her chin on her hand with a victorious smirk as Kassandra sighed in defeat and moved the chair closer to Aspasia before taking a seat.

“You seem to know a lot about all of this show business.” Kassandra said as she picked up the fork and knife and cut the breakfast pie in half, giving Aspasia the larger chunk of it that also had more tomatoes in it. “It all comes so naturally to you.”

“A side effect really of being in politics for so long.” Aspasia said as she accepted the fork from Kassandra who had opted to pick up her half of the pie piece in her hand to eat it. Table manners were never the warrior’s strong suit. Not that it bothered Aspasia. Even back in Greece, she had seen it as refreshing from all the stuffy meals with rich and proper Athenians.

“I doubt there was much to do with politics wherever you were hiding.” Kassandra said.

“True, but those sorts of skills never really fade, just like you and your ability to wield a weapon, you never really forget how to talk to others and make an impression once you’ve learned. Or how to act in a way that garners the reaction that you want from them.”

“So, how did you survive all this time?”

Aspasia smiles. “The piece of the artifact. Each piece of it is like the staff you now carry.”

“You already know how I survived?" Kassandra was taken aback by this. "Were you spying on me all that time?”

“Just because I couldn’t be near you didn’t mean I wasn’t still keeping an eye on you, in case you needed me. But you never did.” Aspasia began to cut into her food as she talked, when Kassandra didn’t answer the blonde looked up at her quizzically.

There was a solemn look in the misthios’ eyes that she kept transfixed on the horizon. It was the same look she’d had when they spoke in the dressing room, like a lost puppy who didn’t understand why they found themselves alone in the rain instead of a warm comfortable living room.  

There was a hefty pull on her heart as Aspasia gazed at Kassandra who now looked distantly down at her food as she ate. It was all she could do to stop herself from reaching over and drawing the other woman into a tight embrace and never letting go again. But it was not her place to do that anymore. Instead, she settled for trying to at least ease whatever pain that she unknowingly caused with her words.

“Though I did lose track of you after a while, specifically when you left Greece.” Aspasia continued in a gentle voice, while trying to catch Kassandra’s eyes to distract her from the thoughts that were obviously bringing her pain, judging by the way  her shoulders now sagged a little while she leaned against the table.“I would love to hear the tales of where the mighty Eagle Bearer ventured to.”  

The first bite of breakfast finally made it to Aspasia’s lips and suddenly she wished she could have Kassandra cook breakfast for her every morning with how the mix of flavors seemed to send a wash of delight over her. Every bite after was just as good as the first, if not better. Though it was a strange connection to make, the feeling reminded her of Kassandra’s kisses.

Their first had been spectacular. On the deck of the Adrestia with the full moon casting it’s pale caress over the ship and the waters on which it floated in the middle of the Aegean. The ever so slight breeze was nearly the same as the one that danced across the balcony now. It picked up and let Kassandra’s hair fall in nearly indiscernible waves just the same as in the current moment.

The memory wrapped itself around Aspasia’s mind and took her back to that time. When they sat side by side and alone atop the bow of the ship while Kassandra listened with rapt attention to Aspasia naming all the constellations and stars she could identify in the sky above. Kassandra had known many of them, but let her lover explain them in great detail anyway, until she paused to look over at her, curious if she was in fact still listening.

Even now Aspasia wasn’t sure if she had dreamt the way that Kassandra looked at her in the darkness. The smile on her lips was sweeter than any candy and her eyes flickered with a loving glow that rivaled the most beautiful of fires on a cool winter evening. Then she had leaned in, and pressed her lips to Aspasia’s. The kiss was cautious at first, but still sent tingles of happiness all throughout Aspasia’s body that settled into her heart where they would remain to the present day, and beyond.

Kassandra’s voice snapped Aspasia out of her reverie, and she blinked as she tried to catch waht the other woman said, hiding her blush behind her hand as much as she could.

“Perhaps another time.” Kassandra said after looking down at the watch on her arm. “I need to get going.”

Aspasia glanced over Kassandra’s shoulder to the clock in the kitchen, and nearly glared at it. For the second time it would be taking Kassandra’s presence away from her, and far too soon. There was so much that Aspasia wanted to ask her, to tell her. They had nearly two-thousand years of catching up to do and they never seemed to get more than a few minutes to speak to each other. Then an idea dawned on her as she looked down at Kassandra’s phone which had been placed in the center of the table.

“You do.” Aspasia admitted before reaching out for the phone. “Can you do me a favor?” It wasn’t really a question. “Keep me updated on what’s going on. I’d rather not come back to a million surprises.” 

At first Kassandra looked confused then came to understand what Aspasia meant. “Right, I suppose I can do that. It will also make planning dinner easier.” Kassandra said while taking the phone from her then swiping her thumb across the screen a few times before handing it back.  

  
“Dinner?” Aspasia grinned, casting a glance to Kassandra while putting her number in the phone.

“Yes, dinner.” Kassandra nodded, then pursed her lips nervously. “That is...if you want to. I just figured you might want the assistance.”

“I would love that.” Aspasia replied with a smile as she leaned forward and placed the phone back in Kassandra’s hand. “Especially if your dinners are as wonderful as your breakfasts.”

Kassandra grinned proudly as she leaned in too. It was such a natural motion for both of them, even after all this time. Aspasia felt herself blush as Kassandra’s eyes flitted over her admiring the dress, and perhaps something more, though she dared not think it.  “I can’t help but wonder how nice you will look when you’ve had all day to prepare your outfit. Instead of just the morning.” She said finally when those brown eyes met Aspasia’s again.

The blonde’s cheeks darkened to a furious red and Kassandra smirked knowingly with a raised eyebrow. Still she wasn’t going to let her win that easily. “You’ll just have to wait and see won’t you?” A smirk of her own spread across her lips as she gave an ever so light poke to Kassandra’s nose, earning her an adorable glare after she blinked and scrunched up her face in annoyance.

“Now go on. Don’t be too late. It’s only fashionable if it’s within reason.”

Kassandra chuckled at the joke as she stood up and gathered the plates. “I suppose I will see you this evening.” The woman said as she moved them inside to the island before returning to the open doorway and offering her hand to Aspasia who waved her away.

“Yes, this evening. Try not to give Derek too much trouble today.”  
  
That earned her one of Kassandra’s famous eye rolls with an exasperated groan as she turned to place the plates on the island in the kitchen. “He’s the one who gives *me* trouble. Little weasel.”  
Aspasia laughed. “Just try to be nice, alright?”

“Alright, alright...” Kassandra sighed in defeat as she stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips and gave Aspasia one last smile where Aspasia could see a familiar fondness. “I’ll try.” She raised a pointed finger. “But only for you.”

“Thank you.” Aspasia returned the fond yet amused smile.

They exchanged one last ‘Chaire’ between them and then Kassandra turned to leave. Once again Aspasia found it much colder than it was a second ago when she disappeared behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house. A shiver ran over her body as the wind picked up, almost as if it too was protesting the misthios’ departure.

**Ξ**

Kassandra’s mind was clouded with thoughts of the morning as she entered the studio and made her way across it to reach the gymnasium that they had set up for stunt rehearsals. Once inside, she headed for the small dressing room that the actors used to change into proper gear. Thankfully, she would be spending the majority of today in normal clothing rather than the trademark leather outfit of her character. Though she felt very comfortable in her costume, it was nice to have a day off from wearing it. Today she felt like she could just be herself and not have to pretend that she was somewhere long ago and far away. Instead, she could enjoy her present time.  

There were many things about the modern day that Kassandra found odd, or even downright unpleasant, but the simple things that she enjoyed centuries ago remained the same. She felt a peaceful smile come over her lips as she slipped into a pair of comfortable sweat pants and a cropped sports top, then wrapped her arms in bandages to prepare for her morning workout. Which normally she would have done at home, but wasn’t bothered by doing it here.  
The gym was empty and silent except for the light padding of her feet as she crossed the giant room to where they had an array of punching bags set up in the corner. After a few stretches and one last deep breath to clear her mind she took up a proper fist fighting stance and gave the bag a swift right hook to start off with. Then followed with a quick flurry of jabs that ended in an uppercut that made the chains on the bag rattle from the force.  
  
An impressed whistle echoed across the gym from behind her, and Kassandra looked over her shoulder.

“Glad I don’t have to actually fight you.” A woman said as she crossed the room to stand next to Kassandra who looked her over. She was only a little taller than Aspasia though she had the body of a gymnast, with golden blonde hair that curled around her shoulders in gentle waves and eyes as blue as the sky. “I definitely wouldn’t win like I’m supposed to on the show at first.”

“You’re Callisto?” Kassandra asked as she thought back to the descriptions of the character who was intended to be Xena’s arch nemesis in the script.

“Yep, that’s who I’ll be playing.” She said with a nod and a dazzling smile to follow while holding out her hand in greeting. “You can call me Melissa though.”

Kassandra accept the handshake with a friendly smile of her own. “Melissa, what a lovely name. Though I must say you don’t resemble a bumble bee very much, and to be honest, I was expecting someone a little more...” She looked over the small framed woman as she searched for the right word. “Imposing.”

“Hey, size isn’t everything.” Melissa joked in mock defense.

Kassandra laughed. “True, but it helps. Or so I’m told.”

Melissa looked unconvinced. “Pretty sure technique is just as important.”

“Both in love and in fighting as it turns out.”

“That’s true. I heard you actually can fight like the real Warrior Princess too.” Melissa motioned to the punching bag, which still had dents in it from Kassandra’s training. “And now I have proof.”

“I have good technique in...both areas. I wouldn’t have gotten much of anywhere in my life if I didn’t.” Kassandra spoke of her past without thinking about it. The other woman gave her a puzzled look, and she scrambled for something to add. “I uh...grew up on the streets, I had to fight for the things I had.”

Melissa raised her eyebrows curiously and asked, “And the love part?”

Kassandra chose her words carefully, not wanting to allude to anything. “That... was also complicated. But once you learn the tricks, they never really leave you. For better and worse.”

“Yeah, I heard that you apparently had some sort of flashback during a scene.” Melissa gave a sympathetic look. “What happened?”

 “I just sort of...lost myself in it all and forgot that it wasn’t real.” She tried to explain, while an embarrassed flush colored her cheeks. Up until then she had never experienced anything that intense other than the occasional nightmare or intrusive memory from her past. Perhaps it had affected her more than she realized. “In the middle of it I wasn’t even seeing the actors anymore.” There was no way that she felt she could explain that it was the setup of it all that caused her issue. The armor, the swords, the yelling from the actors that had brought everything flooding back to her mind.

Melissa pursed her lips and rubbed her chin in thought for a minute, then snapped her fingers in excitement. “You know, I had a friend on the last project I did who had the same problem. He was a war veteran and even though he was perfect for the role, all the explosions that the director insisted on having in the film gave him these horrible flashbacks. We came up with a sign that he could use to tell us when everything was getting too real for him. Maybe something like that could work for you.”

“What kind of sign? Like a hand motion?” Kassandra questioned.

“Right! But it has to be something that the cameras can't easily see...” Melissa began to pace as she thought, then perked up a moment later. “How about this? Just cross your fingers to let me know if you’re feeling uncomfortable.” Melissa crossed her middle and index finger as an example.

Kassandra mirrored the action and then nodded with an approving smile. “That could work, but how will I know if you saw it?”

“Hmm...I could do this.” Melissa gave a small wink. “Would that work?”

Kassandra laughed softly. “Wouldn’t the audience think that was strange?”

“Not if the camera isn’t on me, and besides, my character is supposed to be a crazy lady right? She could do just about anything and it would be believable.”

“You make a good point. Alright then, we can use that as our signal.“ Kassandra felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Ever since the incident she had been nervous about filming future fight scenes. The last thing she needed was to accidentally hurt someone on this job, or worse. “Thank you.” Kassandra added. “I think this will help a lot, and… if there’s anything you need, I’d be happy to return the favor.”

“It’s no trouble.” Melissa waved it off casually. “Acting should be fun, and rewarding, not stressful enough to give people horrible flashbacks, but I will keep your offer in mind. Maybe you can show me some of those cool moves of yours sometime. I’m pretty good with choreography but not so much at the whole…” She punched the air meekly. “Punching people thing.”

They shared a laugh at Melissa’s a pathetic excuse for a right hook, and Kassandra said, “Yes we could, and should, definitely work on that.” As she tried to catch her breath.

From down the hall there was a whole group of footsteps echoing into the gym as Derek and his usual ensemble marched in. Derek clapped his hands together in his trademark signal to get everyone’s attention as he stopped pointedly in the middle of the room. “Let’s get to work people, places everyone.” He looked over at Kassandra and Melissa who were making their way over to him. 

“Oh good, glad to see you’ve both met. Hopefully, you’ll get along better with this one Kassandra,” Derek teased.

Melissa surveyed the group then asked, “Where’s Zephyra?”

“She’ll be back in a couple of weeks, she’s out with a sprained ankle right now.” Derek explained shortly before turning away to order the stunt men and assistance around.  
Melissa suddenly looked disappointed. “Oh... I was hoping I’d finally get to meet her.”

“Zephyra?” Kassandra repeated the name curiously. 

“Yeah, you know, Gabrielle? Pretty sure you guys have worked together already.” Melissa replied, surprised at Kassandra’s confusion.

It took a second but Kassandra eventually put two and two together. “You mean Aspasia?”

“Yeah her! She usually goes by her stage name. She’s one of my heroes and been in like every Broadway show that I love.” It was amusing to Kassandra to watch the girl’s eyes light up as she rambled a list of Aspasia’s roles.“ Although I only saw her up close when she was in costume with green makeup. I even still have my poster of her from that show too.”

“Broadway?” Kassandra raised an eyebrow. Though stage plays and musicals were definitely something Aspasia had always enjoyed in Greece she had never taken part in them. “You mean the musical theater?”

“How do you know her personally but never saw her on Broadway?” Derek asked over his shoulder with the same stunned look that Melissa had.

Kassandra was caught off guard by the question and fumbled at coming up with an answer. There was no way she could tell them they had been lovers two thousand years ago. “That is a...long story.”

Melissa and Derek exchanged a look, but both just shrugged and seemed to accept Kassandra’s unwillingness to explain, and she couldn’t be more thankful. She also made a mental note to ask Aspasia about her previous career. There was part of Kassandra that wished she had paid a little more attention to musical theater, perhaps she and Aspasia would’ve found each other again sooner.

While the crew set out everything they would need for their rehearsing Melissa continued her rambling. “ Although I only saw her up close when she was in costume with green makeup. That was when I decided I wanted to be a Broadway actor too, but you know, life takes us in different directions. I even still have my poster of her from that show too.” Kassandra just chuckled at the girl’s enthusiasm. “Oh! I should totally bring it with me someday, do you think she’d sign it?”

“She definitely would.” Kassandra assured her after laughing at how animated the girl got about her apparently favored celebrity. Aspasia must love acting, all the fame and glory without the threat of people wanting to murder her over it. Kassandra thought as she continued to listen quietly to Melissa until the crew and equipment were ready.

Derek motioned to them, and they exchanged a glance before Melissa moved to take her place on the mark in the floor. “Well, lets see what you can do, Warrior Princess.” There was a small but playful grin on her lips as she waited.

“Unfortunately, I have to lose this fight.” Kassandra said while getting set in her own place across the mats. “But I’d be very interested to see what you can do, Callisto.” She added a small bow of her head to her not so evil opponent.

**Ξ**

Finally the end of the day came and found Kassandra walking up the steps of Aspasia’s home with two boxes of Sharky’s Pizza in her hands. Kassandra couldn't have been more thrilled to pull on her jacket and head out of the studio as the sun was just beginning to make its way closer to the horizon. Throughout the day, she had exchanged text messages with Aspasia about what to do for dinner. They couldn’t agree or decide on anything until they both just chose pizza. It was quick, easy to get, and required no effort on their parts. The last thing Kassandra wanted to do after a long day of stunt rehearsal and training was to do more work than she had to do. It would also make it easier on Aspasia.

“I met a big fan of yours today.” Kassandra said as she set the two pizza boxes down on the coffee table in front of the couch where Aspasia sat with her legs resting on a pile of pillows at the end of it.

“Oh? Who?” Aspasia asked, though she could never remember the names of every single fan she had ever met, it was still nice to know if she could.

“Her name is Melissa, she’s playing Callisto. Quite a lovely woman, and great footwork, but she can’t throw a punch to save her life. Though I’m not sure how convincing she’ll be as a crazed murderer.”

“Good actors can be any kind of character, great ones can even make you forget that they were ever anyone else.”

Kassandra shrugged but nodded. “That is true, and apparently you rank among them. She will want you to sign a poster for her by the way.”

Aspasia leaned forward. “Is that so? Well, why make the girl wait till I get back.” She pointed slightly down the hallway to an open door across from the washroom. I have one of the originals that never got released in there, could you fetch it?”  
  
Kassandra followed her directions and entered the room full of framed posters from everything Aspasia had been in. They varied wildly from one where Aspasia was sitting on the hood of a car with a group of other actors who looked like a bunch of high school kids from the fifties, and another that showed her standing in a line among other actors who all looked like they might as well lived on the streets of New York.

“It should be on the top of the stack.” Aspasia called from the living room and Kassandra picked up the one in question from a small stack of posters that sat on a desk by the window of the room. Sure enough, there was Aspasia on it, in green makeup and a black robe with a pointed hat. She looked like a witch and the poster was very convincing in making her appear to be flying as she sang. Kassandra felt a smile tug at her lips as she admired the image and looked down to see a second copy of it. Part of her wanted to ask if she could have it.

“You know, you look nice with green skin.” Kassandra commented as she presented the poster to Aspasia when she returned to the living room.

Aspasia gave her an unimpressed look but then smiled as she took the poster and signed her name with a glittering gold permanent pen. “This was one of my favorite projects.” She said thoughtfully while looking at the poster fondly. “It was a story about The Wicked Witch of the West, and how she became who she was.”

Kassandra thought for a moment. “You mean the one from that movie about the crazy wizard?”  
Aspasia nodded. “You see she wasn’t always evil, it was the world around her that made her do the things she did, to protect those she loved.” There was a soft and reassuring look in Aspasia’s eyes that made Kassandra smile as she took the poster back and carefully rolled it up. Perhaps Aspasia understood why she had done what she did in the past. Even if it took her a while to realize it, and that was enough to light and an infinitesimal spark of hope in Kassandra’s heart, one that even she didn’t notice just yet.

“That is the story no one knew until this play, and the book, but the play made it much more accessible to the public.” Aspasia continued as Kassandra began to plate their food.  
“It sounds like a wonderful tale. Now I wish I could have seen it.” Kassandra said truthfully, both because it would have brought her back to Aspasia, and because even the summary resonated with her.

Aspasia’s eyes lit up. “You still can.” She pointed over to the shelf full of DVDs. “I have the recording.”

 _Of course you do._ Kassandra thought with a grin as she set her plate down and followed Aspasia’s motion to the case. Kassandra looked over the cover of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch whispering in her ear. It sort of reminded her of Aspasia and herself, both back in Greece and a little of now. The soft smile remained as she placed the disc in the player's tray and then returned to the couch.

Aspasia shifted and rested her leg on the pile of pillows on a small footrest so that Kassandra could take her place beside her. They ate in friendly silence as they took in the story, though Aspasia would make the occasional comment about the production and fellow crew members in the play. Some of whom were fond friends or people she’d rather never work with again for varying reasons.

It was still the most natural thing in the world for them, and Aspasia eventually caught herself leaning into Kassandra’s shoulder and resting her head there. While Kassandra rested her cheek against the top of her head. When there was a lul in the story, Aspasia turned to her and said “You know, I’ve really missed you Kassandra, and...I’m glad to have you as my friend again.”

This drew Kassandra’s attention, and her lips turned up while those ever kind eyes had a fond spark in them. “I missed you too Aspasia.” Gently she moved her arm so she could wrap it around Aspasia’s shoulders. “And I’m glad you’re back.”

They shared a smile as they settled in and turned their attention back to the show as the next song started and the light from the sunset filled the room with its red hues and the two of them sat together until it disappeared behind the horizon once more. Just the same as they had done so many times before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for being so patient, I know the wait was long for this chapter but I do hope it was worth it! Let me know what you think in the comments! Until next time :) -Just a note to everyone I've since changed Aspasia's stage name around, it will remain Zephyra from here out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading! If you feel so inclined to leave a comment I would appreciate it a lot!  
> Until next time folks!  
> -Kobu


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